


Of Monsters and Demons

by TheRookieKing412



Category: Princess Tutu
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Multi, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2018-08-29 19:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 47,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8502109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRookieKing412/pseuds/TheRookieKing412
Summary: On the night of the blood moon, a single man will be brought into the clan or the pack, and for the next century, no one else will turn. In turmoil, a girl interrupts the meeting of old enemies and is wanted by both werewolf and vampire for she and she alone has the power to destroy the fathers of both species. But how can she kill anyone?





	1. Sanctus

In the dark of night, two figures stood opposing one another in a shaded lot. Dead grass and weeds withered around them as a gust of wind picked up dirt and leaves. The first to step out of the shadows was a woman, so pale was she when illuminated by the full moon, her red lips creating a contrast against her flesh. Her eyes were a sharp, blood red and decorated by make up. Her hair blew with the breeze, and with the attire she wore, where gooseflesh should have rose, her skin remained as smooth as marble.

"Fakir," she said snidely, waiting for him to approach her, "I assume you know why I've called you here."

The second figure, Fakir, only growled the way a wolf would, but didn't step out of the shadows.

"Once the red moon comes I will take him."

"It's funny that you think that's an option for you." Fakir said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I will not fight you over this, Fakir. I love him as much as you do."

Fakir laughed, "You lust after him; your heart is too shriveled for such emotions."

"I'll have you know, Fakir, that I intend to make him one of my own and he will live with me for forever."

"He'd never agree to that."

"He told me he loves me. He promised me forever."

Fakir glared, "He doesn't know what you are, he doesn't know what he promised you."

The woman bristled, "He does not care for such things! You heard what Drosselmeyer said. He is the only man who will succumb to our poisons for a century."

"Well then I guess you'll just have to get used to the idea of having a werewolf for a boyfriend then, huh?"

The woman glared at Fakir, fists at her side, but she began to shake. Fakir smirked before stepping out into the light.

"Let's begin."

Fakir began to transform into something gruesome as the woman attacked him.

 

~

 

Ahiru hummed as she locked up the shop for the night. After a long day of flower sales she couldn't wait to get home to take a long, hot bath, which was finally a reasonable activity with fall steadily approaching. Ahiru stuffed the keys into her pocket. Today had been her first day by herself; her boss, Freya, was sick and intended to close for the day, but Ahiru convinced her to let her run the shop. It hadn't been too hard, and today was slow, yet still taxing on her body. Flower pots were still heavy and bending down to tend to plants were still a part of her day, with or without Freya.

Ahiru looked down the street that she normally took home and down the alley she knew to be a shortcut. After a long day and the streetlamps strangely not turning on, Ahiru decided that going down the alleyway might be safer if not quicker. So, she turned into the alley to make it to the road on the other side which was very well lit. She hummed a little as she walked. Some tea, her favorite music, a hot steaming bath … home was really calling her na-

Ahiru stopped in her tracks. She heard ... growling? Like two dogs were fighting.

Now, Ahiru knew better than to try to stop a dog fight. That was a job for professionals! But she should still see what was going down, in case it was just a television playing too loudly next to an open window.

Ahiru cautiously walked over to the empty lot where she heard the noises coming from, careful to not step on anything or draw any attention to herself. As she drew near, she noticed something strange, one being that there only seemed to be one dog, and two being that that dog was very, very large. Her heart began to race as she-

She stopped in her tracks.

She had heard it and so had the dogs.

The sharp, crisp sound of glass breaking underfoot.

She had feared for a moment that the dogs would charge her but calmed when she saw that one of the dogs fighting wasn't really a dog, but a woman. She began to panic when she looked at the other "dog."

It had dark fur that almost seemed green in the light. It stood on hind legs, as tall as seven feet, and was covered in ripped and tattered clothing. It had the chest of a man, the arms of a man, and the eyes of one.

Ahiru shook and backed away from the scene as slowly as she could before she booked it out of the alley. Behind her, she heard a strong howl as the two things began to chase after her. She made it to the street, but with the two animals right on her tail, and turned right, which was not the direction of her home.

Suddenly, just when she thought she would be left for dead in the gutter, a door opened and an arm pulled her in. Ahiru screamed as the dog collided with the door, instantly bouncing away as if it was being repelled.

"Are you alright?"

Ahiru looked up at a pale woman with greyed eyes before she nodded.

"What- who-?"

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but let us give you something to eat to settle yourself."

"Us?" Ahiru looked around her and saw what appeared to be a restaurant with various characters inside.

The woman helped Ahiru stand and lead her to a chair, "Ebine, will you get this poor child some water and something to eat?"

A woman with purple hair nodded and went into the kitchen.

"Whats-?" Ahiru tried again.

"We are hunters." The first woman said, as if it was obvious, "For centuries, people like us have hunted down monsters to save the people of the world from their cruelty."

"Monsters?"

"Yes. Lycan and vampires. They are the main problems, but there have been others."

"Lycan?" Ahiru licked her lips, "Like werewolves?"

"Yes, exactly."

Ebine came back with a bowl of hot soup and a glass of iced water.

"Thank you." Ahiru said weakly, although she thought this meal to be wasted.

"You see, each of us have been attacked by these monsters and wish to rid the world of them."

"A werewolf killed my husband." Ebine said sadly, but her underlying hate was more than evident.

"A vampire took my mother." A girl spoke up, her hair in a tight, pink bun on the top of her head.

"A vampire tired to eat me!" The girl next to her added, her blonde pigtails bouncing up and down as she did so.

Soon, everyone had given their stories to her, making the situation more real than it ever had been.

"And," Ahiru turned to look at her host, "You?"

The woman looked down, "It is the family business, I live up to the legacy my parents left me."

Ahiru could tell by the hollowness in her eyes that she wasn't telling the complete truth, but this woman had given her shelter and food so she wouldn't force her.

"My name's Ahiru," she said, sticking her hand across the table.

"Edel."

"Thank you, Edel, for saving me." Ahiru looked out the windows, looking for a pacing beast or sulking bat.

"I'll have Pique and Lilie take you home," The two girls from earlier had stepped forward, the one with pink hair and the blonde, "They are more than equipped for the job."

For a minute they looked excited as they went and gathered weapons that were stowed away in the restaurant.

"Ahiru, I don't expect you to join us, but please, come back here for assistance at anytime." Edel told her, laying a hand across Ahiru's. Once Pique and Lilie came back, Edel said, "Good, now go and try to forget if you can."

Ahiru was led out of the restaurant by the two girls and they started chatting as soon as the door shut.

"Oh my God, I didn't think I'd ever see Rue and Fakir in the same night!"

"I know! It must have been some tragic battle you interrupted!"

"Um, it was." Ahiru said, thinking back to what private thing she interrupted.

"Wait, they were really fighting?"

"What ever for?!"

"I wasn't sure. All I heard was growling and I thought it was a dog fight, so I went to-"

"Break it up!"

"No, I just wanted to make sure in case it was a false alarm before I called it in." Ahiru looked at the grey pavement beneath her feet. Why did she have to check? It would have been better if she had just left it alone! "Say, who are Rue and Fakir anyway?" Those were the names they said, right?

"Huh? Oh, they're pretty much the leaders of their packs in Kinkan, maybe in all of Germany. Either way both are really powerful and for them to be seen must mean something big is going down."

"Maybe it's a turf war!"

"Nah, the two clans have lived peacefully for centuries. Why would they start now?"

"Wait!" Ahiru stopped. "They've been here for centuries but no one knows about them?"

The girl with pink hair rolled her eyes, "We do! Duh!"

"Most people who aren't hunters are killed by them before they can tell their story!"

Ahiru put her finger to her lip in concentration, "Where did they come from?"

"Oh, well, I can't tell it as well as Edel, and Lilie'll just exaggerate, but from what I've heard the first vampire to ever exist was a man named Drosselmeyer. He wanted the power to write fiction into reality and made a deal with the devil to do so. It had worked for a while, but one man named Siegfried decided that it was too much power for one man to have and used witchcraft to transform into a half-man half-wolf to stop him-"

"They had a magnificent battle!" Lilie interjected.

"Well, yes, but it wasn't magnificent, it was horrible and bloody, and while Drosselmeyer was in a continuous undead state, Siegfried would turn back to call on the dark arts again. And as the battle drew on, both Drosselmeyer and Siegfried created more and more vampires and werewolves to fight. It ended when they both died."

"How?"

"No one's really sure." Pique shrugged. "That's just how the story goes."

Ahiru nodded her head. "Well, this is it." Ahiru pointed up to an old tenant building. "Thank you for walking me home, and I will come back if I need anything."

Pique winked and stuck out her tongue, "Of course! Just ask for my name and I'll come."

Ahiru nodded before she went inside.

Now, she definitely needed a bath.

 

~

 

Ahiru hummed as she organized azaleas the next day, the bright sun shining into the greenhouse-like flower shop. The bell tinkled as someone walked in and went to the front desk. Ahiru didn't pay much attention, since dealing with customs was really more Freya's thing, but then she heard her name being mentioned.

Ahiru looked up as a man walked towards her. There was something alluring about him. Perhaps it was his long hair or his lean arms and chest, but Ahiru felt her cheeks burn, especially since he was asking for her. He knelt down next to her, which surprised her since she was about to stand up, and said, "Hi, Ahiru right?"

Ahiru nodded, but as she looked at him, he somehow seemed familiar. Looking at his hair, which was dark but shined green in the light, and his eyes-

Wait.

Ahiru studied his eyes and a chill went over her body. She opened her mouth to call to Freya, but Fakir's large hand covered her mouth.

He chuckled and gave her a wolfish grin and put a finger to his mouth. "Shh."

Ahiru shook and tears came to her eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered. He looked back and saw Freya leave into the back room. "I'm going to remove my hand, and if you scream, well ..." He shrugged and slowly took his hand away.

"W-why-?"

"Why am I here? Why am I looking for you? Surprisingly, I get that a lot."

Ahiru didn't know what to say and could only nod.

"I'm here because I was instructed to be."

"Instructed? But I thought you were the leader."

"Yeah, well even managers have higher-ups." Fakir shrugged as if it was nothing, but that worried her. She should have known, but that implied the existence of a lot more werewolves than she liked to think of. "And I'm here because Rue can't get you in the daylight."

"Why do you want me?"

"Our King thinks you can be useful."

"Your King?"

"Yes, my leader, the big CEO." Fakir rolled his eyes, "He wants to use you."

"But-"

"But you're just a little flower shop girl with no real importance." He rolled his eyes again. "I know, no one thinks they're important."

"But I'm really not! I only just saw you and Rue fighting in that lot last night!"

Freya came back into the room and Fakir glared at her as if she was intruding on them. "Go tell that woman you're taking the day off to catch up with an old friend."

Ahiru knelt there, just watching him.

"Go, now!" he growled, and she was off to tell Freya.

Freya took it well, "Oh, that's alright! Besides, you took care of the shop all by yourself yesterday. You deserve to have the rest of the day to catch up with your friend!"

Fakir grabbed Ahiru by the elbow roughly and led her away, but Freya didn't seem to notice the fact that he was bruising her. They walked outside, and when Fakir was sure she wouldn't run off, he let go.

"I still don't understand." Ahiru shook her head.

"I don't either. All I know is Siegfried wants you."

"Wait." Ahiru looked up at him. "Siegfried? I thought he died."

"Siegfried? That bastard'll never die."

"But Pique said that that's what Edel told-"

"Edel?" Fakir laughed, "That old hag? That's just what she's been feeding her minions so that they'll feel more in power."

"So, Siegfried is still alive then?" Ahiru twiddled her thumbs. She didn't know how to feel about that, but if Siegfried was alive ... "Drosselmeyer?"

"Yes," Fakir nodded slowly. "He's alive, too."

"But wait, wouldn't he have taken over the world by now?"

Fakir looked down the road at a small family of three. "Not here. Look, promise me something. Promise me that you'll meet up with me later."

Ahiru looked at him with a pout-her version of a glare.

"Look, the vampires will try to kill you. It was one of the only things Siegfried told me when he sent me to get you." He put his hands on her shoulders. "I swear I will not harm you and I will protect you if you come."

"You can explain everything later?"

"Yes, but not right now." Fakir looked down the road at people cruising the streets. "Not out in the open like this."

"Then where?"

"Here." Fakir pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Promise me that you will come."

Ahiru looked at the card: Scent. Wait, wasn't that a nightclub?

"Ahiru, please."

Ahiru nodded. "I promise."

 

~

 

"Master." In a dark room, a woman knelt before the flames, red eyes declaring what she was.

"Rue," an ancient voice replied, "Fakir has already talked to her. His ability to walk in the sun is to his advantage and our cripplement. We need that girl."

Rue scowled. "I still don't understand why!"

"Don't you dare speak to me in such ways, Kraehe."

Rue blanched, if that was even possible, and bowed her head. "For- forgive me, master. I meant no disrespect."

"That girl could lead to 

terrible things, Rue. Terrible things!" the voice replied, "The only way to preserve the survival of our dying race is to make her one of us."

"Yes, sir, I understand."

"She knows your face, and I have no doubt that Fakir told her that we would kill her, so you must approach her gently."

Rue bowed her head in agreement. "Yes, my lord."

"Now go, and don't bother me until you have her!"


	2. Mordetis Marcus

Ahiru looked at herself in the mirror. Honestly, she looked ridiculous in such a tight blue dress. Pique stood behind her, trying to make her messy hair cooperate.  
"I can't believe you're going to a nightclub."  
"Yeah, I can't either." Ahiru put a hand on her stomach.  
Ahiru didn't tell Pique which nightclub she was going to, since she probably knew that the Scent was a werewolf club. And she wasn't invited since Ahiru called it a "date." That made her blush since the supposed date would have been with Fakir, and she knew he'd disapprove, or laugh, or both. Pique was the only person she could think of that would know what to wear to something like this. Her only friend was Freya, a complete pastel goddess, and a college friend who lived, well, back in the city where they went to college three hours away.  
"But this is a good look." Pique brushed out any wrinkles on the side of the sequined dress, shimmering like oil in the light. Her hair was in a bun, which was the most the two of them could do anyway. "Wait." Pique stepped away from Ahiru, giving her a skeptical look. She then began viciously removing the bobby-pins and pulled her hair down.  
"Pique! I told you it was too long to be let down!" Ahiru whined.  
"Shush!" Pique, with pins in her lips, pulled back a piece of her hair and pinned it to the left side of her head.  
Ahiru looked at herself. The only time she had her hair down was when she showered, so when her hair waved down her back, she had forgotten the effects the braids had on her hair as she began spreading pomade into her hair to smooth it out, and Ahiru began to see how this was better than her bun.  
"There!" Pique praised, "Now, the finishing piece." Pique rooted through Ahiru's jewelry box.  
"Oh wait, I have a necklace." Ahiru went to the side of her bed and pulled out an old pendant.  
Pique scrunched her nose at it. "That old thing? No offense, but it's not exactly something to wear to a nightclub to go dancing."  
"These heels aren't exactly something to dance in either."  
"Yeah, but they're sexy." Pique pulled out a cheap necklace Ahiru got at Wal-Mart for about five dollars. It was simple and sterling silver with a small, fake diamond hanging from the chain.  
It went with the outfit, so Ahiru agreed and put her pendant back. Pique grabbed a coat from the closet. No sense in letting prying eyes stare at her, Pique had said, and besides, it was cold.  
Pique walked Ahiru down the stairs, then departed in the direction of the hunters' restaurant. Ahiru was starting to think they all just lived there. She began to walk when a voice called out to her.  
Twice in one day. Damn, that had to be a record!  
"Ahiru, right?"  
Ahiru looked down a dark alley and saw a shadow leaning against the wall.  
"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you, but I'm sure Fakir convinced you I would."  
Ahiru's eyes widened. She must have been that vampire from the other night.  
"No."  
"Oh, goo-"  
"He told me you'd kill me."  
Rue's eyes widened before she started to laugh, "Kill you, oh my!" Rue stepped out of the shadows in a short, red party dress, "My dear I want you as much as he does."  
Ahiru licked her lips, forgetful of the heavy lipstick Pique applied. "Why?"  
"He hasn't told you?" Rue put a hand to her heart in mock pity.  
"He will tonight." Ahiru said, defending him. Which was strange, as she had only met him today and the night before, and he chased after her in some kind of monster mask. At least Rue was human. Or, well-  
Humanoid.  
"Fine, go to him, but come find me and I will tell you everything he has forgotten to mention." She slithered back into the shadows and Ahiru felt warmth return. She hadn't even known it had left.  
She shook her head and started walking, heading to the club where she could get her answers. She hoped they were worth the pain these heels inflicted.  
She heard the music from a block away, and when she turned the corner she didn't even have to look at the name of the establishment before she knew it was the Scent. When she got to the door, two men were thrown from the club by a small woman, whose hair was in a neat ponytail at the base of her neck.  
"And stay out!"  
Suddenly, the people in the line stood straight, the proper fear and respect given to the short bouncer.  
"Um," Ahiru walked up to her, cutting the line and instantly feeling guilty about it, "I'm here to see Fakir."  
"Ahiru." The bouncer nodded. "Lysander!" she called, and a tougher looking man stepped out. "Watch the line. Fakir has a delivery." The bouncer looked Ahiru up and down.  
Once they were inside, she smiled sweetly. "Sorry about that! You can't let them think you're soft. I'm Retzel."  
"Ahiru."  
"I know, and again, I am so sorry about that. Normally people just know not to mess with me." She shrugged and brought Ahiru across the nightclub, a very loud destination, blaring lights, and too many people to count. Ahiru was lead to a VIP section that was slightly elevated compared to the rest of the club, it seemed richer and more breathable, you weren't bumping into people every step of the way. "It's Fakir's delivery," Retzel told the bouncer at the VIP area. He nodded and let them through.  
"Um, Miss Retzel why do you keep calling me that?"  
Retzel winked. "Code word, can't let civies know what's going on, you never know who might be a blood sucker."  
Ahiru nodded. It made sense.  
Retzel led her to the very back of the establishment to a half-circle booth, the ones that Ahiru always wanted to sit in at restaurants, but never could since she never had a big enough group. In the center of the booth was Fakir, sitting exactly the way a club owner ought to sit: slouching, his knees open, arms stretching across the back of the seat with two girls leaning on him, giving him attention. When he saw Ahiru, he sat up almost instantly, and stood to greet her.  
"Ahiru," he said, holding out his hand to shake it. Ahiru extended hers, but he twisted it and placed a kiss on her knuckles. Smooth. "Come, we have much to discuss."  
Still not letting go, he dragged her toward another door, and when Ahiru looked back, she could tell she had angered the girls that were practically sitting on Fakir's lap. He opened the door and turned on a light before leading her down into a basement. It scared her, being dragged down the stairs, scantily clad, by a man who was much, much stronger than she, into a dark room below a nightclub where no one could hear her scream.  
"Please," Fakir said once he let go, "Take a seat." He gestured to a plush chair.  
Ahiru took it, not wanting to anger him. "Fakir-"  
"Shh!" Fakir put a finger to his lips as he leaned against a desk with one arm crossed over his chest. He began to look her up and down and stopped at her eyes. "You look different."  
Ahiru crossed her arms.  
He smirked. "Now, down to business." His smirk was quick to fade.  
Ahiru swallowed and sat up in her chair.  
"Whatever Edel told you-"  
"Pique."  
"Yeah, whatever, whatever she told you, was wrong. Both Drosselmeyer and Siegfried are alive, just not well."  
Ahiru looked at him with curiosity.  
"You see, Drosselmeyer wanted to twist fiction into reality with writing, and Siegfried rose to stop him. They changed people to fight alongside them, but in the end, the only things that stopped them was each other." Fakir paused, "You see, Siegfried was able to curse Drosselmeyer, but all it did was immobilize him. By doing so, Siegfried was also a recipient to the curse. While Drosselmeyer became an eternal flame, literally, Siegfried become something akin to cave markings."  
"Wait, what?"  
Fakir exhaled, "Drosselmeyer is a literal fire. He can talk and live, but he's stuck as a fire. Anyone can put him out, but his minions are too loyal and kept him safe by creating a nearly waterproof castle around him."  
"Wasser Castle?" Ahiru asked, eyes wide. That was something she did recognize, it was a castle built back in the 1800's. It was restricted to people, but tourists liked to go and see, legend has it that it's haunted, but legend has it that a lot of places are haunted.  
"Yes, that's what civies call it."  
"And, what about Siegfried?" Ahiru ventured.  
"The spell blasted him onto a stone wall where he was forced to stay. I can show him to you, if you'd like."  
Ahiru nodded.  
Fakir motioned for her to follow him and he led her down a dimly lit hallway that turned from cement to stone. Ahiru heard howling and looked at the wall and saw a wolf rushing past her, only it was on the wall. She gasped and smacked her hand to her mouth.  
"Siegfried!" Fakir called when he got to the end of the hallway, which had turned into a cave, "Ahiru is here and wishes to meet you."  
Ahiru, his voice called to her soothingly. She walked to the wall, brushing her fingers against the stone. Ahiru, I will keep you safe.  
Suddenly, the painting of a wolf stalked towards her and it was more than surreal. Her mouth opened in shock and her eyes widened. He looked at her and his eyes turned sad.  
Tutu. He said.  
"Tutu?" Ahiru turned to Fakir.  
"Tutu was his wife. They loved each other, a rare thing in his time, but he lost her in childbirth."  
"Do I look like her?" Ahiru asked, never looking away from the wolf in the wall.  
"I don't know, they weren't rich enough to afford portraits."  
Ahiru lifted her fingers and brushed it along Siegfried's head and he leaned into her touch like a dog would.  
Tutu. He said again.  
"What happened to their child?"  
"Some people say she was taken by vampires and eaten or turned, others say she died in a particularly cold winter, but no one knows for sure." Fakir shrugged.  
Siegfried howled at the mention of his daughter before bounding away.  
"I'm sorry," she said.  
"Not your fault. Siegfried can only stay for a certain amount of time before he's called away."  
"Away to where?"  
Fakir shrugged. "Hell."  
Fakir turned to leave, but Ahiru looked at the wall and pet it once more. He called to her and she went to him.  
"Is that why he wants me? Because I look like Tutu?"  
"No, he wants you because you can kill Drosselmeyer."  
Ahiru felt sick. She put a hand to the wall, this one concrete, and bent over, her hair curtaining her paling face.  
"You can kill Siegfried, too, but- Ahiru!" Fakir turned and lifted her face in his hands. He picked her up and brought her back into the room they had first entered and sat her on the desk. Fakir left her for a moment, but returned with water, which she downed greedily.  
"Hey, hey, take it slow."  
"Sorry." Ahiru shook her head.  
"It's fine, just drink-"  
"No, I mean, I can't kill Drosselmeyer."  
"What do you mean? Of course you can-"  
"No! I mean, ugh! I can't just kill someone in cold blood!"  
Fakir looked at her, "This is a demon that has caused too much suffering, it would not be murder, but a blessing to all who live on earth."  
Ahiru shook her head.  
Fakir shook his head, "We'll talk about this later, just come back up."  
"Can I go now?"  
Fakir looked at her over his shoulder and smirked. "Not yet."  
Ahiru felt a chill run down her spine but followed him up. He led her back through the club to the VIP section and then out into the main part of the club. At first she thought he was leading her outside, but then he started heading for the dance floor.  
"Fakir-"  
"C'mon, this is the only way that vampires won't mess with you." He held out his hand to her and she took it. When she met Rue, she could tell something was off, even if both Rue and Fakir felt unctuous. But Drosselmeyer definitely seemed more dangerous than Siegfried, and if vampires were Drosselmeyer's minions, well, Ahiru wasn't too sure she wanted to deal with them.  
She reached out and placed her hand in his. He all but dragged her to the dance floor.  
She stumbled onto the dance floor in the last few beats of the song. God, these shoes were not made to dance in. She looked around and saw people grinding against each other. Was Fakir going to make her do that? The next song started to play. Something that was hard and quick, and definitely not the kind of music Ahiru was used to dancing to. He put his hands on her waist and she automatically moved her hands to his shoulders.  
And they began.  
It wasn't so bad. It was quick and as she moved she could feel the heat. The heat of her body, of his. It wasn't long before she started to sweat, and at that moment, when she did not want anyone to touch her, Fakir pulled her closer. She blushed red, adding to the heat. Chest to chest, they danced.  
She had gotten used to the feel of his body against hers, so of course he decided to change the position again.  
He grabbed her hands and spun her around so that her back was against him. This made her freeze up. She- she wasn't going to grind on him! She didn't know him! Well, she kinda did, but not really! How did he expect her to-  
"Relax, just dance." He whispered into her ear, as much as one can whisper in a club. So she let go and swayed to the music, careful not to rub against any part of his body except his chest, which she would occasionally brush with her shoulder. Fakir was careful, but pulled her closer until she was flush against his body. He moved her hair over her right shoulder, baring her back to him, which was exposed from the off-the-shoulder dress. He pressed his mouth against her neck and bit her.  
He bit her.  
He fucking bit her!  
Who bites someone like that?!  
What?!  
She gasped and tried to pull away but he was latched onto her. Ahiru felt the warm trickle of blood slipping through his teeth, and when he pulled away, her hand instantly smacked onto her skin to cover the wound. Gently, Fakir moved her hand away and licked the wound. Just. . . licked it. Slowly, if at all, the blood stopped flowing from her neck and she could feel it healing. Fakir ran a finger over the mark.  
"I'm sorry, it's the only way to keep you safe from those vampires." He turned her around. "They're ruthless. They'd more than likely kidnap you if you denied them."  
Ahiru put her hand on the wound. It was scarred over. Completely. "What did you do?"  
"It's a mark, it means that I claim ownership over you."  
Ahiru blushed.  
"Not like that, idiot." But Fakir blushed too.  
Ahiru crossed her arms and rubbed them to generate heat. "May I leave?"  
"Not alone. I'll go with you."  
Ahiru nodded and left the dance floor. He followed after her and she felt her scar burn, a warm sensation that felt more pleasurable than painful. God, what if Pique saw it? She'd know what it was, right? Maybe she could just pass it off as a hickey?  
Fakir escorted her outside and the sudden rush of autumn air chilled her to the bone.  
"What if I say no?" Ahiru asked once they were a block or so away from the din of the club.  
"We'll leave you alone, but that means you'll be hunted by vampires." Fakir shrugged.  
"What if I go to Edel?"  
Fakir laughed harshly. "Edel? As soon as she sees my mark on you, she'll cast you out."  
Ahiru rubbed the scar again. So it didn't look like a hickey? "What does it look like?"  
"Nothing right now. Just a bite mark, but it'll soon turn into my symbol."  
"And what's that?"  
Fakir shrugged, "You'll find out."  
Ahiru guessed that that was Fakir's way of saying he didn't know.  
"How does Edel know it's your mark?"  
Fakir considered this. "Well, it's not that she'll know it's my mark specifically. She'll just recognize it to be a werewolf mark."  
"Oh, I guess that makes sense." Ahiru shrugged, rubbing at it.  
"Stop that, you'll get it infected or something."  
"It's already closed. Besides shouldn't you know if it would?"  
Fakir glared at her. "No, I've never marked someone before, and I can only mark someone once."  
Ahiru stopped and he stopped only after he realized Ahiru had stopped as well, "You only have one chance to do this and you wasted it on me?"  
"Once you die, I'll be able to mark someone else, preferably a werewolf, but," Fakir looked at the sidewalk before turning back to her, "This is important to Siegfried. The death of his lifelong enemy. I wouldn't let it slip through my fingers just because some vampire got to you first."  
"I thought I smelled the stench of a wolf." Rue stepped out from the alley and Fakir raced to stand in front of Ahiru. "Hello, Ahiru, have fun at that wolf den?"  
"Um-"  
"Don't talk to her, Rue!" Fakir yelled back. He brushed Ahiru's hair aside to show his mark. "She's mine now."  
Rue sneered. "Ahiru! I thought better of you!"  
"It is obvious that you are unwanted here, Rue."  
"Actually, it isn't." Rue walked towards the two and Fakir snarled at her as she began to circle them. "From what I overheard, she hasn't agreed to be in your silly little wolf pack."  
"She will, and if she doesn't, she's definitely not joining you blood guzzlers."  
"Who knows." Rue brushed the side of Ahiru's cheek. "She just might like me better, I mean, I certainly wouldn't bite her on the first date."  
Fakir growled at her as she touched Ahiru.  
"That's kinky, Fakir."  
"Leave!"  
Rue smirked and backed away into the darkness.  
Fakir grabbed Ahiru by the wrist and started to run.  
Ahiru gasped, her heels not suited for running. "Fakir!"  
Fakir didn't stop and kept running.  
"Fakir, I can't!" Ahiru's ankle nearly buckled, but she was able to keep going. "Fa-!" Ahiru finally tripped over a crack, sweat making it easy to slip through his tight grasp. She scraped her knees and her left shoulder.  
"Ahiru." He bent over her. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize-"  
"I'm- I'm fine," she stuttered, gasping for breath, "Just go, I can make it home myself." She placed an unsteady hand on the concrete and tried to lift herself up only to slip right onto her wound. She hissed before being picked up by Fakir, her right, uninjured side against his chest. "Fakir, I said I was-"  
"If I left you now, Rue would go after you, and there's no way I'm doing that."  
Ahiru opened her mouth to argue but just nodded her head instead, "Fine, but I can bandage myself up when I get back, okay?"  
"Alright."  
"So just drop me off at the door. Wait, you know where I live right?"  
"Yes," Fakir said, "I can pick up the trail you left when you walked to the club."  
"You can?"  
"It's a bit difficult since it's such a busy street, but now that I marked you, I can detect it, although it's still faint."  
Like a dog was the first thing that popped into Ahiru's head. The next were those assemblies she had as a kid, where they showed off how important police dogs were and everything they could do. But then she shook the thought a way. Fakir wasn't a dog, he was a wolf- a werewolf- but Ahiru didn't know if that was better or worse.  
"Here, go clean yourself up." Fakir let her down and she walked to the door. "I'll be picking you up tomorrow for dinner."   
"Dinner?"  
Fakir shrugged and turned his head, but there was red on his cheeks, "The more you smell like me, the more the vampires will steer clear of you."  
Ahiru nodded. That made sense.  
And of course, it was another opportunity to try to convince her to kill Drosselmeyer. She swallowed and walked inside. Fakir didn't leave until she began walking up the stairs but even then, she felt him peering at her, her neck tingling with the sensation of being watched.


	3. Princeps Album

“Whoa, that’s a really cool tattoo!”  
“Huh?” Ahiru slapped a hand to her neck, where a bite sized oak tree was engraved on her skin. “Oh, um, thank you.” Ahiru looked up at the man who said it and was stunned.  
He was beautiful.  
Ahiru hurried to stand before him. “Um, is there anything I could help you with?”  
“Ah, yes, I’m looking for roses.”  
Ah, of course he was taken---no one asked for roses unless it was for a loved one. Still, he was beautiful to look at. When she first looked at him, the sun was directly behind him so he had a halo, like a saint in Renaissance paintings. His hair was so pale it was almost white, like freshly fallen snow, and his skin was like cream. It wasn’t until he was standing that she saw his eyes---beautiful golden eyes. Was it even possible to have eyes like that? He talked about what kind of roses he wanted: pure white ones, the color of innocence.  
“We have all types of roses here.” Ahiru said, leading him to the area where Freya had grown almost every species of rose, every color, every size. It was one of Ahiru’s favorite aisles.  
“How many?” Ahiru asked, ready to snip at the roses.  
“Thirteen.”  
“You know, most people just ask for a dozen. Is that a special number?” Maybe it was their thirteenth anniversary, a rose for each year, or maybe it was the age when they met. Either way, how sweet.  
“No, nothing special.”  
Ahiru smiled and nodded. What a shame, she heard of people doing sweet things like that for each other. But still she cut thirteen roses and took them to the counter. He said no to a vase and she rang him up. Twenty-two fifty.  
He smiled at her and pulled out a rose. “Here,” he said, handing it to her over the counter.  
“Oh! N-no it's okay, really!”  
“I insist, a girl as pretty as you should also receive flowers.”  
She bit her lip and accepted it.  
“May I have your name?”  
“Um, Ahiru.”  
The man smiled. “Pretty. Miss Ahiru, may I meet you here after closing? I’d like to get to know you. It’s hard to find kind people nowadays.”  
Kind?  
Pretty?  
This guy had the wrong girl.  
Still, she blushed. She nodded her head. “It closes at seven.”  
“Great, I’ll give these to my. . . friend, and I’ll come fetch you. Sound okay?”  
“Al-alright, but wait, um sir-”  
“Mytho.”  
“Um, Mytho, I still don’t understand-”  
“The friends I have, Miss Ahiru, aren’t the nicest of people. I could tell that you have a pure heart the moment I looked into your eyes. The last person I knew who was so pure, well---all I know is that when you find pure hearts, you don’t let them go because they will be the kindest people you know.”  
“I think if anyone has a pure heart, it’s you, Mr. Mytho, for saying I have one.”  
He smiled brightly. “I only speak the truth. I’ll return at seven and not a moment later.”

~

He was late. Ahiru stood outside for about ten minutes when Mytho came running down the road.  
“Pardon me!” He said to her, all smiles, “My friend was holding me back a little. She’s very-”  
“Clingy?” Ahiru offered.  
“Oh, no, I’d never say that about her. She’s had hard times and doesn’t want me to leave her. The thing is, I try to reassure her that I would never - let’s go, Ahiru, this way - but no matter what, she’s still-”  
“Clingy?”  
“In a way. I love her, I really do, but-”  
“She doesn’t have a pure heart.”  
Mytho laughed under his breath and shook his head, “She definitely doesn’t have one of those. Not to speak ill of her, but she is, well, for lack of a better term, you could say that she’s in a gang, and the leader of it!”  
“Really?”  
“Well, no, but I’m just saying that she’s not above doing bad things.”  
Ahiru nodded. She could understand. People had to do what people had to do to get anywhere in life.  
“She’s good but her past-”  
“It’s led her to terrible things.”  
“Yes, and she has it all. Daddy issues, abandonment issues, trust issues, episodes. I just ...” He paused, looking at the ground for something that wasn’t there. “I wish I could help her.”  
Ahiru didn’t like gossip, especially if she didn’t know the person. “Let’s change the subject. I think it’s a little rude-”  
Mytho’s head popped up and his eyes went wide, “Oh! Oh I’m so sorry! I didn’t even consider the fact that you don’t know her. Oh, my dear Ahiru, you must accept my apologies.”  
“Don’t worry, I do.” Ahiru smiled. “So where are you taking me?”  
Mytho looked relieved. “The Pier!”  
Ahiru tilted her head, “A pier? We don’t live by an ocean.”  
“No! Not a pier, The Pier! It’s a passing carnival set up in the park! I thought it was a good first date if any.”  
“Date?”  
“Oh, sorry, not like that. A date between new friends.”  
Ahiru nodded and smiled, even if this man was taken, he was still wonderful to hang out with. Somehow though, she could only think of how different he was compared to Fakir-  
Oh shit.  
Fakir!  
He was going to take her to dinner, or cook her dinner, or make her dinner! Either way, she had missed it!  
“Ahiru, are you alright?”  
“Hm? Oh! Yes, just fine, I just forgot something but it’s not important.”  
“Are you sure? Because we can always go-”  
“No! No, really, it’s fine, just a small thing.”  
Ahiru waved it away but a chill still went down her spine and she swore she heard a wolf’s howl.  
The next three hours were spent with Mytho at the fair. He paid for every game, ride, and all the food she wanted, and they were currently sitting at the tables sharing a pink cotton candy. Somehow, they had grown so close in the past few hours, and now they were just laughing. This was much better than the night before---the noisy club, the decision she had to make, the bite…  
She rubbed her neck as she thought about it, there was something strange about it. When she had first been bitten, all she could think of was the pain it caused when his teeth sunk into her skin, but replaying it in her mind, chills ran up and down her body. It was like she had enjoyed the bite, experienced pleasure-  
She began to blush and hid behind cotton candy.  
“Are you okay? You aren’t hot, are you?” Mytho asked, ever so polite and gentlemanly.  
“No, sorry, I just let my mind drift to something embarrassing.”  
“Oh! I hate when that happens-”  
Ahiru nodded along, not really hearing what he was saying. She rubbed the mark and that in itself added to her current chills.  
She yawned.  
“Oh, God,” Mytho said, looking down at his watch, “It’s late, I should get you home.”  
Ahiru nodded and stood, allowing Mytho to eat the rest.  
“It’s a good thing tomorrow’s Saturday!”  
“Do you get the day off?  
“Yeah, it’s pretty nice not having an alarm, even if the store opens at nine.” Ahiru smiled a little, the thought of sleeping in gave her a warm feeling, something completely different from what she felt when circling over the bite mark. “What do you do anyway?”  
“ I don’t, my friends have always supplied me with money so I’ve never needed to work.”  
“Really, why?”  
Mytho shrugged, “They want me to be insured, I think. They have the money for it so they can.”  
“So you’re like a 1950’s housewife receiving allowances from your husbands?” Ahiru joked, elbowing his side lightly.  
Mytho smiled, “I guess you could say that. I don’t earn it though, that’s for sure. Besides, I think it was so it made sure I stayed with them.”  
“They're your friends though. Why would you leave them?”  
“They’re just scared. I never got an education or experience, so it’s not like I could get a job anyway.”  
Ahiru raised an eyebrow. “You never got an education? But you speak so well!”  
Mytho smirked and shrugged. “They taught me as best as they could, but mostly they made me read a lot. I can barely do math!”  
“Hey, there are a lot of high school graduates who can’t either!”  
Mytho got a laugh out of that, and Ahiru was glad she was able to give that to him.  
“That’s true, my friends were never that good either. They only knew up to multiplication and division.”  
“That’s all you really need anyway!”  
“Truly!”  
Mytho lead her to her apartment and dropped her off at the door.  
“May I see you again?”  
Ahiru giggled. “You can see me anytime. You know where I work and where I live.”  
Mytho nodded, “True, oh, what did you do with my rose?”  
“Oh, I set it up by the cash register. I thought it looked nice there.”  
“I’ll have to see for myself.”  
Ahiru smiled. “Goodnight.”  
Mytho waved. “Goodnight.”  
Ahiru opened the door and went inside. Man, it was good to have someone so kind and caring and---  
The door was open.  
Ahiru panicked. Oh God, she had been robbed! She rushed inside to see what the damage was when she saw that everything was in place. But then the door closed shut behind her. Her heart was racing. They were still here!  
Ahiru turned slowly and was almost relieved to see Fakir standing by her door.  
Almost.  
The look in his eye was murderous and she knew it was because she missed dinner.  
“Fakir, I-”  
Ahiru started, but Fakir pounced on her. Literally. He pounced. Suddenly, her back was to the wall and her throat was being constricted by Fakir’s hand.  
“And where have you been?”  
Ahiru gulped, “I- I---”  
“You think this is a game? That you can run off with whoever, wherever, and you won’t be a target?”  
Ahiru’s lip trembled.  
“You are risking your short, little life on what? A man?” Fakir took a strong sniff of her neck and stopped half way through. “Oh, I see.” He started to laugh and let her go. “You are an idiot.”  
She collapsed to her knees as she sucked in air. “Fakir, I’m sorry!”  
“At anytime a vampire could have come for you,” he said, kneeling down next to her, “That man you were with, he’s not one himself, but he associates with them. I’m sure that if Rue came he would have let her take you.” Fakir grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled her head away from the ground.  
She gasped and her eyes grew wide because she liked it. It should have hurt, made her hate him for the abuse, but she loved the way it felt.  
He paused to look at her reaction, but kept on with his scolding, not going to say a word about her parted lips, “Tomorrow, I will come for you and tomorrow you will obey and do what I tell you to do.”  
Ahiru nodded to the best of her ability before she was let go, her head felt tingly from the way Fakir had pulled. He stood to leave, but Ahiru stopped him.  
“I- I forgot.”  
“Forgot?” He sneered at her over his shoulder. “Forgot what? That your life is important to two enemies? That one will do anything to get you? Or did you forget about me?”  
Ahiru shook. She honestly never saw herself as an important person, but somehow, Fakir’s tone made it seem mocking. As if even if it was all true. That he didn’t feel that way. It nearly broke her heart.  
He shook his head when he didn’t get an answer, “I will be here, tomorrow, to pick you up. Don’t leave.”  
He shut the door behind him and Ahiru allowed her tears to fall. He was so aggressive and cruel! How could anyone be that way? Feel that way, or even talk that way? Ahiru didn’t understand it at all and she hated it.  
She shook as the tears fell down her face.

~

Fakir leaned against his hand, two girls fawning over him though he could not remember their names, or if they were in his pack or not. He wanted to shake them off, but they would just latch back on.  
That stupid girl. She was going to ruin everything! They’d finally get rid of Drosselmeyer and he couldn’t do a thing about it if she was taken.  
He took a drink.  
Maybe if he had someone tail her 24/7, although they might be suspicious especially if it was Lysander. He was about as sneaky as a...  
A...  
Well, a not sexy thing!  
Ugh! He didn’t know! He was distracted!  
Besides Lysander, Retzel would get bored and complain. He didn’t want to do it and he certainly didn't trust anyone else to do it.  
He rubbed his eyes.  
He certainly couldn’t trust Mytho to do it either. As much as Mytho was his friend, he was Rue’s lover, too. He could just as easily want to get her to Rue. God, why was this so challenging? If she wasn’t so hesitant about killing Drosselmeyer, everything would be so much easier.  
He stood.  
“Where are you going, Fakir?” one of the girls asked.  
“Yeah, where are you going?” the other chimed in.  
“I’m going to dance.” Dancing always helped, it calmed his nerves and helped him think straight.  
“We’ll go with you, Fakir!”  
“Yes! Please!”  
Fakir rolled his eyes, God, they were almost as annoying as Ahiru. “Fine.”  
The two girls cheered and latched themselves onto Fakir’s arms, leading him to the dance floor. He danced the best he could with two girls on him, but every time he closed his eyes all he could see was her. One of the girls got in front of him and started dancing against him and he could only think of Ahiru’s body and how hesitant she was when he turned her around. He growled. Why was he still thinking about that dipshit!  
He spun her away but then the other girl came. She leaned her whole body against him and he all got was the stench of hairspray. God, Ahiru’s had smelled so much better! It wasn’t an exact scent, but it was something that belonged to her and her alone. It lingered there and he could still pick it up in places she had been…  
Damnit, damnit, damnit! Why was she lurking in the depths of his mind? Peeking out when he was trying to think, or to concentrate?! Even when she wasn’t around, she was irritating.  
With the girls dancing on him, it felt wrong. Strikingly and distinctly wrong. It was Ahiru’s body who should be pressed against him, not these stupid girls. She should be here. She should be dancing with him. She should be touching him. She should be-  
He growled before moving off the dance floor. If anything it made it worse, completely and altogether worse. He went back into his booth and grabbed his drink. He sucked it down, hoping beyond hope it would distract him before he went into the basement.  
He paced around the room like the animal he was, snarling and growling as he went. Her scent was so strong in there it might have made his situation worse.  
Fakir fisted his hand and threw the cup at the wall, shattering it was he left out the window, changing into a beast to run and hunt.


	4. Rat Ad Rubeum

For a week, Ahiru had spent her days with Fakir.

Luckily, he had calmed down and apologized for his behavior. Though, Ahiru just thought it was more of a formality and not because he was genuinely sorry.

She didn’t forgive him.

For a whole week, he had been with her. Holding her, touching her, grabbing her. It was. . . Strange. It was like having an abusive boyfriend all the older, wiser, and more experienced ladies told younger girls to leave in the dust. But Fakir wasn’t a boyfriend, and she most definitely couldn’t leave him. 

He was definitely an animal, though. He dragged her around a lot, and while she didn’t really mind, his grip was tight, far tighter than he probably knew, and left bruises on her wrists. He always seemed to be on alert, as if someone would attack them at any minute, and maybe that’s why his grip was so tight. She had showed them to him the next day, and while something flashed in his eyes - remorse? - he passed it off. This morning he came by just to say he was letting her have the day off, his eyes traveling down to her wrists before sharply looking back up.

She had planned on Fakir to have something planned and when he didn’t, she was left to her own intentions, so, she paid her bills.  

God, she wasn’t going to have a lot of grocery money, was she? She’d just have to leave meat out of her meals for a bit, go vegetarian for the week, that was fine, besides, she practically lived on bread in college, it would be just the same. Just the same. 

She rubbed her eyes.

Her life wasn’t supposed to be this way. She wanted to be a dancer. She was too clumsy. She wanted to paint. Her hand wasn’t steady. She wanted to cook. Nothing tasted right.

And now…

Ahiru looked out the window, the sun was out, golden and yellow against the browning leaves. 

Now she was supposed to kill someone.

Her mother would be so ashamed. Ahiru looked back at her room, the door slightly ajar. In her bedside drawer was her mother’s pendant. An old thing. It was beautiful, her mother had told her that it was originally the charm of a choker given to a woman by a man she loved. It had broken; the velvet cracked and hard, so Ahiru’s grandmother had replaced it with a gold chain before giving it to her daughter. The chain was worn by now, but Ahiru insisted that her mother keep the golden chain and not replace it. They were poor, those two, Ahiru didn’t want her mother to waste money on a golden chain when the one it had was perfectly fine.

Ahiru’s eyes traveled across her wall where two pictures hung. Ahiru stood and walked to them, the first was a picture of Ahiru’s mother, it was her senior picture, and while Ahiru’s roommate once said she looked just like her, Ahiru knew her mother was too pretty to be compared to her. The next, was a picture of Ahiru and her mother the day she was born. Her mother’s hair was all over the place and her face still gleamed with sweat, but she glowed. She glowed brighter than a star while holding that baby, her baby; Ahiru. 

In the picture, Ahiru was asleep, her face was pale, unmarked by sun kisses and eyebrows, it seemed. The picture was taken by her grandma, whom she never met. Ahiru had been told by her mother about how mad her mom had been since she had sex with a boy out of wedlock, but grandma loved Ahiru more than anything. That’s what she said. 

Ahiru always believed her, but she wondered if that was ever true, if her grandmother really did love her or if it was a toleration. She would never know.

Ahiru huffed. She really shouldn’t be left alone.

Ahiru went back to her bills and moved on to her taxes when someone knocked on her window. Ahiru looked over and gasped.

It was Rue, dressed from head to toe, complete with gloves, a big hat, and sunglasses.

“Let me in!” She said through the glass.

“Fakir said-”

“Are you really going to listen to Fakir?” Rue put the hand that wasn’t holding her up against her hip. “Just let me in.”

Ahiru nodded before going to the window and opening it.

Rue stood there, “Well, invite me in.”

“Oh! Right! Um, please, come in?” 

Rue rolled in and shut the blinds immediately.

“God, it’s hot out there!”  

“Well, that’s because you’re wearing so much.”

Rue glared, “I know, but it’s fall, these clothes shouldn’t be so suffocating.”

“Well, you can take them off now, I can go make sure the blinds are all shut.”

Ahiru walked into her kitchen, where the only other window was besides in her room, and closed the blinds. Ahiru went over and shut the door, hoping Rue would understand that it was off limits.

“I can’t believe you let me in, especially after all the shit Fakir told you about me.”

Ahiru shrugged.

“Nice place.” 

“Thank you.”

Rue walked around and sat down on the couch, and Ahiru sat with her.

“God, I can’t believe I caught you.”

“And why’s that?”

Rue raised an eyebrow at her, “Because Fakir’s been dragging you all over town marking you up as his territory.”

Ahiru blushed, “He just doesn't want vam-”

“Vampires kidnapping you?” Rue finished, “Don’t worry, we won’t.”

“You won’t?”

“No, Fakir’s just prejudiced.”

“Oh.” Ahiru sat for a moment, Ahiru kinda figured he was lying about them, but still, she didn’t know one. “So I suppose you want me to kill someone, too?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Ahiru paused, collecting her thoughts, “Fakir never explained why I was the one who had to do the, well, killing.”

“To be honest, I don’t know either, Drosselmeyer won’t say, old bastard.”

Ahiru looked confused, “Do you not like him?”

“Of course I don’t, he made my life shitty.”

“What do you mean?” Ahiru threw Rue’s question back at her.

“It started when he first got his powers, in 1852.”

Ahiru’s eyes grew to the size of saucers, “You mean that you’re-”

“One-hundred and seventy-two.” Rue smirked, “I look good for my age, huh?”

“Rue-”

“Don’t feel bad for me, I don’t mind being old, besides, my tragedy happened before I was turned.”

“Oh.”

“Let me explain, you see, back in 1852, Drosselmeyer had made his little deal with the devil; his soul for the power to make fiction reality. The devil, however, had a little trick up his sleeve, the more he wrote, the more his humanity, I guess, was taken from him. The more he became a demon.

“I was his first victim, we were his neighbors, my father was a doctor and my mother was, well, a woman. I was only eight years old, but Drosselmeyer saw that as a perfect age, and he started with my mother. He got her sick. Sicker than anything our medicine could heal. I was at her side day and night, or at least, as much as I could, my father tried to make me stay away, in case I got sick, too. The torture went on for a year, and my mother only got worse and worse.

“She’d sing to me until she coughed up blood. She’d read to me until she went blind. She’d play games with me until she was too weak to lift a finger. Her hair had greyed from the stress the illness had taken on her body, and her hands were always cold. That was the worst part. It was like she was already dead.

“She died a year after she got sick, a perfect, round year. We buried her under her roses, which had wilted in her absence. I thought the pain was over but then my father turned cruel. He’d get drunk and beat me black and blue. He’d call me names, say I was the reason for my mother’s death and threatened to kill me for nearly ten years. Once I turned eighteen, I was prepared to run away and find a suitor who would hopeful take me in, or even a job to support myself, but then my father got sick. He begged me to stay, apologized for all his wrongdoings, and I didn’t know better so I stayed. 

“With him sick, nearly all of our wealth disappeared. I fired our staff, sold most of our things and took care of my father, but this sickness was one that I knew. It was my mother’s illness, and for a year my father was sick. I buried him next to my mother, the way he would have wanted it.

“I tried to leave again and again, but something always made me stay. Nostalgia, sickness, the harsh winters.” Rue paused and looked at the blinds and put her hand to her chest. “I never realized that I was trapped until Drosselmeyer came.

“At my door, he told me he knew everything that had happened to my family and how very sorry he was. Jaded I told him to fuck off, well, what the equivalent of fuck off was back then. He simply smiled and left.

“Later that night, he came back and hunted me like an animal. Stalking me through my nearly empty home before he cornered me, right beneath the grandfather clock, the only thing left that was actually worth something. He bit me and then made me drink his blood, and suddenly I changed, I was his slave and he told me to go and find more people to turn, so I did.”

Ahiru had tears in her eyes, what an awful story! “Why- why did you-?”

“A tactic to gain your trust,” Rue said smoothly, as if her haunted past had no effect on her, “I told you my life story, baring my heart to you so that you’d have no reason not to trust me.”

“Well, how do I know you weren’t lying? Like how did you know it was Drosselmeyer who made your life horrible?”

“Oh, he told me, I tried to fight him, but he was much stronger than me, and he found it much more amusing than anything.” Rue nodded, “And no, you don’t know if I’m lying, but I’m not, and I did it so you would trust me.”

Ahiru nodded as well, “I do, I do trust you, and it's horrible, I just don’t-”

“What has Fakir told you? About his past? About himself?”

“Well-”

“Nothing right? So why do you trust him more, is it that love bite he gave you?” 

Ahiru’s hand slapped her neck, “No!”

“He’s abusive, he always has been.” Rue looked at Ahiru’s hands and tsked, “See what I mean?”

Ahiru pulled her hands away and rubbed her wrists.

“If you don’t like Drosselmeyer, why do you still work for him?”

“I can’t leave, that was the first thing he did.” Rue bore her eyes into Ahiru. “When he told me that he was the one who killed my parents, I tried to leave, but he wrote that I couldn’t, that I would never leave him and work for him and him alone.”

“Oh Rue, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Rue shook her head, “I’ve come to terms with it, but I am here to persuade you.”

“To kill Siegfried.”

“Yes.”

“But why?”

“Siegfried is Drosselmeyer’s only enemy, his only real threat, and well, you now I guess, if you killed Siegfried, it would set him free.”

“What? But how?!”

Rue looked down at the floor before looking up again, “Siegfried is trapping Drosselmeyer with his lifeforce.  If he were to die, Drosselmeyer would be free.”

“But, wouldn’t that be bad for you? Don’t you want to be free from him?”

“Ahiru, if he dies, he can just come back, he made a deal with the devil.”

“Yeah, but since I’m the only one who can kill him doesn’t that mean truly kill him?”

“I don’t know, Ahiru, the only thing I do know is that you’re the only one who can do it for some reason.”

Ahiru took Rue’s hands, “I need time to think, but, if I killed Siegfried and set Drosselmeyer free, would it make life any easier for you?”

Rue stayed silent and shook her head.

“I need to go somewhere before I make my decision, then.” 

Rue looked up at her, “You’re going to decide?”

“I’ve spent a week with Fakir, but only an afternoon with you and you’ve gained my trust more than he has.”

Rue smirked but nodded, “Go, and have Fakir tell me your decision, whatever it is.”

 

~

 

Edel welcomed a young couple to the restaurant and settled them down with menus and a bread basket. She quickly returned to her stand when she saw another customer walk in.

“Oh, Ahiru!” Edel smiled at her, “What a lovely surprise!” Edel looked at her hair. It was down and hanging from the sides of her face, as if to cover- She shook her head as Ahiru greeted her.

“Hello, Edel.  If you aren’t too busy, I’d like to ask a few questions.”

“Yes, of course.  I’ll have Malen man the stand.” Edel walked over to one of the waitresses, a girl with short blue hair and circular glasses; Ahiru thought she was cute. “Malen, I need to talk to Ahiru in the back, cover for me?”

Malen nodded and went over to be the hostess. Edel lead Ahiru to the very back, behind the kitchens, to a small, closed off office. 

Edel adjusted a picture on her desk, tilting it away from Ahiru, “So, my dear, what is it?”

“I have a question about Drosselmeyer and Siegfried?”

Edel nodded, “Ask away.”

“Well, I wanted to know what makes them so bad.”

“Ahiru, they have taken the lives of hundreds.”

“I- I know, but I want to know specifics.”

Edel scrutinized her.  “To start, Siegfried was a witch.  He practiced witchcraft, and while it was white magic, it did lead to what are known today as werewolves. He has taken people’s lives from them, cursed them to turn into monsters in the moonlight, he has killed many a people, too, don’t forget. Every minion he has created has killed, maimed, destroyed, and it is all because of him. I do not care if he was trying to rid the world of Drosselmeyer, he is still corrupted by evil.”

“A-and Drosselmeyer?”

“He has killed hundreds. He has killed from the safety of his home, behind his desk, his murder weapon a pen. He has destroyed the lives of thousands, stealing people away from their families, stealing their souls and using them for his dark bidding. He is nothing more than pure evil, one step above the devil himself.”

Ahiru nodded. “Thank you.”

 

~

 

“I told her everything and I have her right in the palm of my hand.” Rue laid across Mytho, her leg over his hips, her arm across his chest, her head resting against his shoulder.

“And what was her name again?”

“Ahiru.”

“I know her.” Mytho smiled, “She’s very nice.”

Rue sat up on the plush red bed, “You do?”

Mytho played with the poles that held up the canopy, “Sure do, she hasn’t been available to talk though, so I’m a little upset.” 

“Mytho, I think I have a plan that will appease our master.”

“Our master?”

“He’ll be ours soon, too.”

“He’s horrible, though.”

“He is, but that doesn’t mean we don’t work for him though.”

“But why would I want to?”

“Better than being a stupid wolf.”

“Can’t I just be human?” Mytho tilted his head.

“Baby,” Rue put her hand on his cheek, “Don’t you want us to be together? Forever?”

“I do but, I don’t want to be evil.”

Rue pulled away, “I’m not evil.”

“But Drosselmeyer is, and who is to say that I won’t be the same?” 

Rue shook her head, “It doesn’t matter, you’re not like that,” She splayed her fingers over his heart, “You’re pure.” 

“Rue” he said, grabbing her hand, “Don’t you think it would change me? What are the qualities of a vampire?”

“Well, you’ll be immortal, you’ll have enhanced sense, strength, and speed, you’ll heal unnaturally fast, and you’ll be able to shapeshift.”

“Don’t you think that my purity will amplify it by tenfold? It’s why Drosselmeyer wants me, for the power I will have?”

“Well, yes.” Rue didn’t like where this was going.

“Don’t you think that all that power will go to my head?” Mytho sat up and put his other hand on her cheek. “Don’t you think it will mess with me, or try to control me?” 

“I don’t- I don’t know.” Rue turned her head as if something had caught her attention, “I have to go.”

“Wait.” Mytho grabbed her wrist.

“Drosselmeyer-”

Mytho let go, head down, he nodded. 

Rue left the red room and headed down to the basement. Down old, creaky stairs and past boarded up windows, it was covered in dust as if no one lived there and in reality, no one did.She opened the oak door that led down to the basement and marched down the steps, she looked sadly upon the girl forced to keep the fire and bowed down before the master of the house.

“Rue, tell me what news you have of her.”

She nodded. “She has been increasing the time she spends with Fakir, it’s hard to stay in a room with her since she’s covered in his stench.”

“Yes, yes, go on!”

“I told her what you did to me, but I don’t think she trusts it completely.”

Drosselmeyer laughed, “Ah! My tragedy too great for her to handle?”

“She wants to believe it but feels it is too  _ much _ to be real.”

“Of course, I wanted to test my limits with you.”

“And she has befriended Mytho.”

“Mytho? Our dear prince?”

“Yes, sir.”

Drosselmeyer gave out a cruel guffaw, his flames growing higher to brush against the ceiling, “How marvelous!”

“What?”

“Oh, what a twist, but I should have expected it! They attract each other, their kind of people.”

“Sir?”

“Two pure hearts finding each other in this strange city!”

“Two pure -? Are you saying that Ahiru has a-”

“We can use him!” Drosselmeyer shrunk and leaned towards her, “Rue, have him sway her heart against Siegfried!”

 

~

 

Ahiru put her hands in her pockets.  There was a rosary, something Edel thought she would need since she didn’t forget about everything she had seen. 

Twilight was cold with the dying sun and rising winds, they had whipped her hair around, revealing her neck, her mark - no,  _ his _ mark.

She began to walk down the avenue, heels clicking against the concrete. He was so mean to her! Dragging her around, taking up all her time, touching her, holding her hand. . . Well, maybe she didn’t mind the touching that much, besides the last person she was intimate with was in high school. And the way his eyes got when she told him he hurt her, like a puppy being scolded, ears folded against his head, tail between his legs, like he really didn’t mean to, like he didn’t know his strength. 

Ahiru wondered. Wondered if deep down he was a good person, that he just made mistakes, like her. But that didn’t excuse his behavior! Like- like when he choked her! It left a bruise and she didn’t know how to explain it to Freya. She wish it would all just be over already, that she could go back to her life as a simple shop girl.

But-

Maybe?

She didn’t  _ want  _ that?

No, no! That’s crazy.

No one needs werewolves and vampires in their lives.

“Ahiru?”

Ahiru stopped and looked up, “Mytho?”

Mytho smiled, “Hey! I was just coming back from the bank.” He waved his wallet around, thick with cash. “Hey, you want to get a drink with me?”

“Um-”

“Oh! You don’t have to!” Mytho waved the thought away, “I just thought it would be fun, I mean, we had such a great time at the fair.”

Ahiru smiled, his intentions were pure, as always, “Sure,” She nodded, “I’d like that.”

Gosh, she hadn’t had a drink since her last college party - not that she didn’t like alcohol, she just didn’t have the money for it - so when Mytho took her to the Red Rat - which was very red on the inside - she didn’t even know what to order.

“One Angry Orchard and a Kvass” Mytho turned to Ahiru, “Let’s try not to get too drunk tonight, huh?”

Ahiru laughed and accepted her kvass. Mytho lead her away from the bar to a corner, a little table built for two. 

“Getting away from the crowd?”

“The noise, it’s always so noisy here.” He shook his head, “My, uh, friend brings me here often.”

“The one you bought the roses for?”

“Yes! I’m glad you remembered.” 

“Hard to forget someone who gives you a rose.” Ahiru smiled, taking a sip. Ahiru looked up to see a woman glaring at her, her nose scrunched up fiercely before walking away. Ahiru pouted, and when Mytho looked back at the woman he laughed.

“Oh, don’t worry about her, she probably just thinks I’m on a date with you.”

“Oh, and why would that be a bad thing?”

“Well, I guess I’m technically already with someone.”

“Your friend?”

“Yeah,” Mytho smiled slightly, “You could say that.”

“Do you not like her?”

“No, no, it’s just,” Mytho bit his lip, “It’s hard to explain.”

Ahiru sat up, “Try me.”

Mytho snickered, “Well, she does love me, deeply so, but the thing is that she needs me for business reasons and I don’t want to be a part of her business.”

“She’s a gang leader, right?” Ahiru remembered him saying something like that to her.

“Of sorts.” Mytho ran a finger around the rim of his bottle. “It’s just that I have an ability, I guess you could say, that she needs to make her and her  _ gang _ more powerful.”

“I see, I wouldn’t want to get involved with gang things either.” Ahiru scrunched up her nose and shook her head.

“But-”

“But? There’s a but?”

“Yes, shh,  _ but _ if I do, there’s a possibility I could save her.” Mytho looked at a picture on the wall, “There’s this rival group, and their leader is horrible, they say that he’s the one that made her the way she is, that he was the reason her ‘gang’ was created.” Mytho’s eyes grew sad, and Ahiru felt true pity for him. “She’s turned evil, it’s the best way I can put it, and it’s all the fault of their leader.”

“Who- Who is she?”

“Her name is-”

“Ahiru.”

Ahiru nearly jumped out of her skin.

_ God! _

Hadn’t she spent all week with him?

“I went to check on you and you weren’t home.” Fakir grabbed her elbow as gently as he could and pulled her from the booth. “I can’t believe you’re  _ here  _ and with-”

“Fakir?”

“Mytho. What are you doing with Ahiru?”

“Wait, Mytho, you know Fakir? Wait-” Ahiru began to put the pieces together, “You’re dating Rue?”

“Yes, I am.  Fakir be more gentlemanly.”

“Shut up, you aren’t invo-” Fakir pinched the bridge of his nose, “You shouldn’t be here.  _ Why  _ are you here? And with Ahiru no less?”

“Ahiru’s my friend.”

Fakir scoffed, “Yeah right, I bet Rue set you up to it, didn’t she?”

“Fakir, don’t be so rude, I met Ahiru before I told Rue about her.”

“So wait, Rue  _ did _ put you up to this?” 

“Oh, no, Ahiru she-”

“Ahiru, we’re  _ leaving _ .” Fakir bent down and whispered into her ear, “Remember who you belong to.”

A vibrant blush grew on her face as Fakir pulled her from her seat.

“Mytho, I’m sorry, I have to-!” Ahiru was pulled out of the Red Rat before she could finish and glared at Fakir, ripping her arm out of his grasp. “I don’t belong to anybody!”

Fakir walked towards her and flicked her hair over her shoulder, he ran his thumb down the mark - his mark - and said, “This - this says otherwise, as  _ far _ as those people are concerned, you are  _ mine _ .”

A group of drunken young men stumbled out of the bar.

“Quick, let’s go.” Fakir grabbed her upper arm and pulled her along, but when Ahiru looked back, she saw that the young men had stopped in their tracks and were looking and pointing at Fakir and her.

“Wha- what was that place?” She asked, whipping her head around to watch her feet as she stumbled over a crack.

“The Red Rat is a Vampire bar.” Fakir growled, “That’s where Mytho took you. He was endangering you!”

“What?” Ahiru looked back, noticing that the guys had started to lurk after them. “Why?”

“Because you are covered in my scent, you smell like their enemy and Mytho took you there for a drink!” 

Suddenly the girl who was glaring at her made sense. She didn’t think Mytho was cheating, she thought she was a werewolf, or at least a werewolf’s m-. Ahiru looked back again, the guys gaining speed on them, but two were missing. 

She gasped, “Fa-”

Fakir had already stepped into an alley, hoping to escape to the other side but it was blocked by two of the four men. They turned and the others had them cornered. Fakir snarled at them, pushing Ahiru to the wall to protect her before he began to transform into a wolf. 

“The mighty Fakir!” One of them called.

“The one and only, well, only dog here, that’s for sure!”

The men laughed at his misfortune.

“And look! He even has his  _ bitch _ with him.”

“ _ Leave her alone _ !” Fakir snapped his jaws, his voice deeper than it was when he was a man.

“Ooh! We got him worked up!” The four laughed, encircling them. 

One stepped forward, eyes red as blood. “Let’s get’em.”


	5. Chapter 5

_ One stepped forward, eyes red as blood. “Let’s get ‘em.” _

Ahiru stepped back and reached into her pocket. 

Her rosary.

Fakir had already began to attack, having a good advantage against them, but it was still four to one. 

Ahiru’s breath began to grow heavy and her head whipped around as Fakir was starting to lose.

They were  _ demon hunters,  _ Edel came from a long line of them, this would work, it had to work! Besides, in all the old movies and stories, crosses would hurt them! And if Drosselmeyer had made a deal with the  _ devil _ then- 

Fakir howled as he was tossed against a wall and Ahiru was brought back in.

She had ran over to Fakir and pulled out the rosary.

“Go away!” she yelled, her eyes closed in fear that the men were just advancing on her.  But when she had opened them, the four had stopped in their tracks with fear in their eyes. One, who had been on the ground with what looked like a broken arm, was trying to scurry away from the cross. 

This---!

This had an effect on them!  She walked forward and they stumbled back.

“Aye keep that away from us!”

“Go away, go back to the Red Rat, or go back to your master.” Ahiru held the rosary higher.  “Go!” 

The men ran away with a speed that blew Ahiru’s hair back. She let out a breath and turned to Fakir who had turned back to his human state. 

“Fakir! Oh, Fakir are you okay?” She bent down next to him and brushed the hair from his eyes.

As he looked up at her, there was something like pride in his eyes.  He ran his hand into her hair before pulling her down to kiss him.

“Hey!” Ahiru said pulling away, “I did not give you permission to do that!”

Fakir shook his head and pushed himself up onto his hands, “Sorry, I’m impulsive.”

“Still.” Ahiru bit her lip.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but held it back and said, “I’ll take you home,” instead.

Fakir stood and pulled her to her feet and into his arms before she had any objections. He ran as quickly as he could and when he finally stopped she was most definitely not at  _ her home _ whatsoever. 

Wherever she was, it was lavish, with a large bed and a persian rug.  There were bookshelves and what looked like a little sitting area for having tea and biscuits. It was all covered in dust except for the books and the bed, which were probably the only items in use.

“Where am I?”

“I’m not leaving you alone tonight.” Fakir said as he walked over to a door, and when he opened it, it was filled with clothes and not a way out. There were two other doors: one led out and one probably lead to a bathroom, maybe if she could guess right. “Don’t even think about it, I’d be able chase you down anyway.”

He pulled out an old shirt and gave it to her, “Wear that.”

“I-”

“You can go to bed whenever you need to and I’ll have Retzel get you some clothes for work tomorrow.”

“It’s Sunday, I don’t work.”

“Then I’ll have her bring you extra clothes for tomorrow.”

Fakir went over to the unused chair and pulled it out and rubbed his hands roughly with his face. Ahiru bit her lip, he was abusive, but he protected her, the least she could do was to make sure he was alright.

“Are-?” Ahiru put the shirt down and went over to him, “Are you okay?”

He let out a breath before he grabbed her hands and pulled her towards him. Fakir rested his forehead against her belly.

“Fakir?” She put her hands into his hair, running her fingers up and down his scalp. 

“I was worried.”

“About what?”

“That-” He shook his head and put his hand on her waist, rubbing his thumb against her. “That they would hurt you.”

“I had the rosary.” Ahiru shrugged as if that was answer enough.

“Yes, you did.” He stopped and pulled away from her. “And where did you get such a thing?’

“Oh! Well um, I just figured that it would be good defense against- “

“Where did you get it?”

“Miss Edel.”

Something flashed in his eyes.  Did he know Miss. Edel? 

“Have you gone to her recently?”

“Um, today, yeah.”

“That was a mistake, I don’t want you to go there ever again.”

Ahiru looked at him in surprise, “I’m sorry, but what?”

“You heard me, I forbid you from going to see Edel ever again.”

Ahiru fisted her hands, “You have no right! I can go and see whoever I want whenever I want! You can’t forbid me from doing anything!”

“You’re mine and- “

“What? Is this the 1800s? I don’t belong to anybody! I don’t belong to you or anyone else for that matter!”

Fakir’s hands shot towards her neck and she thought he was going to choke her again but instead he just moved her hair over her shoulder. “This is what makes you mine.”

“A mark?” Ahiru slapped his hand away, “I hope you realize that this means nothing to me. It’s just an unwanted bruise that won’t go away!

“You have done nothing that would make me want to be yours! You’ve hurt me, pushed me around, abused me and once this is all over and I’ve done whatever you or Rue wants me to do, I am leaving and forgetting all of this!”

Fakir seemed hurt for a minute but he quickly hid that pain away, “Do whatever you wish then. All I have ever done, was done to protect you.”

“Protect me?”Ahiru scoffed, “Freya is constantly worried about me, she’s five minutes away from calling the police. My landlord has offered to beat you up if it’ll make you leave me alone. Because of your scent, those vampires would have attacked me as soon as I left, whether you were with me or not. You have done far from protect me, Fakir.¨

He stood up and walked away from her.

“I’m leaving whether you like it or- “

“You will stay here tonight,” he said, not turning to look at her, “You may not think me worthy, but there are vampires out there who will hunt you down. Especially after being on their turf for hours.” 

“Fine, I’ll stay, but not with you.”

“Stay with Retzel then.”

Ahiru nodded and left, planning on trying to find her when Fakir stopped her.

“I will find her.” He walked past her. “You would get lost if you tried.”

Ahiru mumbled out something unintelligent, not thinking of a comeback quick enough, and she flopped down on the chair. “Stupid Fakir.”

 

~

 

Retzel had told her about the night before. How Fakir had stayed up late and got up early, getting the bare minimum of sleep. Ahiru thought that was extra, especially when she was sneaking out of their house (mansion) at four in the morning. She didn’t want to be trapped there when she woke up and hoped that Fakir would give up after seeing she had left. 

Their “house” was large, three stories (possibly four) with the basement that held the spirit of Siegfried, the club and dance floor - and it wasn’t small either, it was a nice, rather large club - and the floor they lived on. They may have had an attic but Ahiru wasn’t curious enough to ask. 

As Ahiru left Retzel’s room, she shut the door quietly for the couple was sleeping in their spacious bed and crept down the hall to the staircase. Nothing elegant but still beautiful compared to the metal staircase her apartments housed. When she reached downstairs she was surprised to find the quiet hum of music still playing in the club. A handful of people rested in the shadows and Lysander was cleaning up around them, collecting glass, sweeping debris, ushering out drunken guests. Ahiru waved and he waved back.

“I didn’t wake you did I?” He said, voice gruff and soft all at once.

Ahiru shook her head, “I wanted to leave before Fakir did.”

“Ah” He nodded in agreement. “I do the same from time to time.”

Ahiru giggled lightly, glad he wasn’t sounding the alarm, “Goodbye Lysander.”

“Bye.” 

Ahiru shut the door behind her and walked into the cold night. Morning. It was morning.

Morning was supposed to be bright and happy. With coffee. Not filled with chilly north winds.

“Ahiru?”

She jumped out of her skin as she looked around her. 

“Relax, it’s just me.” Rue stepped into the light. “I came to apologize about the men who attacked you.”

“Oh, it was fine.” Ahiru folded her hands behind her back. “I handled it.”

“No, it is not, all Vampires have been informed of you and were instructed to keep you safe. This is a breach of Drosselmeyer’s word.”

A sense of dread shook her. “What- what happened to- to the-?”

“They were dealt with properly.”

Ahiru nodded and shivered.

“You’re cold, here.” Rue crossed the street in an instant, appearing beside Ahiru, “Take my jacket.”

Rue placed a thick coat unto her shoulders. “It feels like wool.”

“100%. How did you know?”

Ahiru shrugged, “My mother made clothing.”

“Hm, c’mon, let’s go to your place.”

“You’re coming with me?”

“Only if you want me to.” Rue smiled.

“Yes, I would like that.” Someone she could talk to freely. She’d say the same about Retzel but she figured that she reported everything to Fakir and wouldn’t risk it.

Rue placed a hand on her shoulder and pressed her along. It was so different from how Fakir would have gotten her moving, either shoving her or forcing her along with a sharp jerk. Maybe she could count on Rue to be an actual friend?

 

~

 

Once Fakir woke up he knew something was wrong. Her scent was slowly fading and her very essence was gone. Dammit, damn that Retzel. He knew she was responsible for this. He tore away from his bed and stalked to Retzel’s room.

“Where is she?” He barked as soon as he opened the door.

“Fakir, liebling, it’s so early.” Retzel stretched like a cat, her husband still sound asleep. “And please, you’ll wake Hans.”

“He could sleep through a hurricane.” Fakir crossed his arms. “I will not repeat myself.”

“I dunno, she was sleeping on the couch and now she’s not.” Retzel sat up and swung her legs over the edge, “She must be running away from you.”

“Fakir gritted his teeth, “Listen-”

“No, you listen, Fakir.” Retzel stood, eyes glowing like the predator she was, “She will never respect, listen, or love-”

“Who ever said-”

“Fakir, now is not the time to speak. You are treating her like the dirt you step on and she is not having it. She is not a Werewolf you have to beat into obeying your order, she is a human being.” She looked him dead in the eye. “You have become the very monster you hate.”

 

~

 

Ahiru had her head rested on Rue’s leg, a bag of her favorite chips in her hand - they had visited the lone convenient store their town had - as she told Rue about the many habits of their favorite gentleman: Fakir.

“God, Ahiru, he sounds like a jerk, you should dump his ass and take all his money.”

She laughed, “I would but he won’t take a hint.”

“I had a fella like that in the twenties, he had this whole empire, rich as they come, and you know what I did after the  _ ninth  _ proposal?”

“Ninth? Seriously?”

“Yes!” Rue giggled, “Guess what I did.”

“You cut off his dick and pickled it in a jar.”

Rue let out a terrible guffaw, “I ate his heart!”

Ahiru’s eyes grew in horror before she broke down laughing. “I don’t think I could do that! Fakir’s heart would be so small and- and taste like coal!”

Oh, and they stopped by the liquor store as well.

Rue smoked - it didn’t affect her lungs, honestly, it was just a habit she picked up along the way - with a bottle of her favorite alcohol in her hand. Ahiru wasn’t paying attention when she had bought it and she was too drunk now to even be able to read the label.

“You’re right, his heart is no good, you can pickle his dick, that’ll, that’ll probably hit him harder than losing his heart.”

“That would be a good conversation starter: ‘Hey, Ahiru, why do you have a dick in a jar on the top shelf of the fridge?’.” 

Rue giggled as she took a shaky drag.

“Hey Rue, why is Fakir so possessive of me anyway?”

“Hm? Oh, probably that pretty little hickey he gave you.” Rue gulped down whatever else was in the bottle, grasping it by the neck. “It’s a Werewolf mate thingy. It strengthens the bond between two mates, connects them in a way, but since you aren’t mates, it may have tried to create a bond but it's just, I don’t know, like a bad phone call, the reception is crappy and you aren’t receiving everything. It must be doing some weird things to his pants.”

“His pants?”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen a man more sexually frustrated.”

Ahiru blushed, “What?”

“Yeah, the mate bite thing is like a wedding ring, binds you together and allows you to reproduce, I think?”

“Oh.”

“Don’t feel awkward, we’ve all been there.”

Ahiru scowled, “Yeah, we have.”

“He’ll stop once you die.” Rue nodded, blowing on the mouth of the empty bottle.

“He said something like that the first night.” Ahiru hiccuped, “But that’s an awfully long time, and what if I find someone and they’re always threatened by Fakir?”

“Move away from here.”

“I like it here.”

Rue shrugged, “He wouldn’t follow and you’d be safe for life. Well, maybe he wouldn’t follow you.”

Rue started to ramble on and Ahiru was no longer paying attention, half way to sleep and half way through her bag of chips.

“Here,” Ahiru sat up, “Let’s go watch some TV. I have  _ Chopped _ on demand.”

“Alright.” Rue got up after her and followed her to the couch. “You know, I don’t think Fakir hates you. I just think that he doesn’t know how to handle his human emotions.”

Ahiru nodded. “It’s been a long time since he’s had contact with a human.”

“From what I’ve observed, Fakir stays in the club except to go hunt or pick fights with me. This is probably good for him.”

“Do you hate Fakir?’

“Me? Nah, he’s like an annoying brother who keeps stealing your stuff, I hate Drosselmeyer more than Fakir, but I imagine he thinks we're mortal enemies.”

“He thinks everyone is against him. Even me.”

“Aren’t you? We just talked about pickling his dick?”

“I’m not, I want to help, I just don’t know how.”

Ahiru stayed quiet after that, letting the episodes play into each other and she eventually fell asleep on Rue. Rue pet her hair, further lulling her to sleep and she couldn’t help but wonder if Rue actually liked her or not.

 

~

 

“And do you think she trusts you?”

“Sir, I-”

“It doesn’t matter if she knows you’re affiliated with Rue, does she trust you?”

“Yes, but-”

“Then that’s all we need.”

The warmth of the fire burned Mytho’s face as he refused to look into it, Drosselmeyer had called him after that night at the Red Rat and many meetings with Rue to ask him one simple question. One he didn’t know the answer to.

Yes, Ahiru was his friend, but did she trust him? Would she do what he asked if needed? The one thing he knew is that she would never kill anyone, not for him, not for Rue, and not for Fakir. 

“Earn her love, and she will do anything for you.”

“Her love?” But, he didn’t love her. 

“A women in love will do anything for the one they love.” Drosselmeyer gave a knowing chuckle, “Trust me, make her fall in love with you and she will be wrapped around your finger.”

“Drosselmeyer, I am not one of your vampires and I will not do your dirty-”

“I could kill Rue in an instant. I could call her down here and burn her alive and she could do nothing to stop it. Is that what you want for her?”

Mytho’s heart clenched, “No.”

“Then do as I say.” Drosselmeyer’s fire grew hotter and Mytho wanted to back away but dared not be disrespectful. 

“Yes.”

“Now go, find her.”

Mytho stood and left. He never approved of anything Drosselmeyer did, but he would never risk Rue or Fakir’s lives. Never in a million years.

He had gone back to her room, they were having a discussion on her alcohol consumption, something he didn’t approve of, especially when the risks ran so high.

“Mytho?” Rue asked, waiting for him in the covers of their bed. “What did he say?”

Honesty. “I have to make her fall in love with me.”

Rue’s eyebrows rose in jealousy, “But you’ll still love me, yes?”

“Of course I will. It is only because Drosselmeyer wishes it.”

“You know where she lives?”

Mytho nodded. 

“Okay, she was with me this morning. I don’t think she’s left the apartment all day.”

“Mmhmm.” Mytho rubbed the back of his neck, “I’ll have to hurt her, won’t I?”

“In the end, you’ll have to leave her. Once it’s all over.” 

Mytho nodded. He turned and left, going to find Ahiru and make her fall desperately and hopelessly in love with him.

 

~

 

He turned into the building and walked up the rickety staircase, maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as he think it will be. Maybe it’ll be nice to be around Ahiru. Maybe she won’t even fall for him and Mytho will have to tell Drosselmeyer to come up with something else. He knocked twice on the door and waited.

“Mytho? What are you doing here?” Ahiru asked when she opened the door.

“Oh, just coming to check on you.” He smiled at her, “How are you, liebling?”

At the term, Ahiru blushed, “O-oh, I’m good! Would you like to come in?”

He thanked her and the aroma of spaghetti met his senses. “Cooking dinner?”

“Oh-oh yeah! I am, yeah, would you like to stay? For dinner? Would you like to stay for dinner, I mean?”

“I would, thank you.”

Ahiru lead him to the kitchen and he sat down at the table, placing his jacket over his chair and his gloves on the table top. Ahiru, despite the weather, wore shorts and a tank top under a vintage looking apron; she had messily wrapped her braid into a bun and nervously stirred meat and noodles. Mytho stood and walked towards her.

“Here,” He said, standing behind her, “Let me help you.” Gently, he took the spoon from her and put his hand on the oven handle, significantly trapping her between him and the stove. God, she was shaking. “Are you cold?”

“No, I just don’t like to wear a lot of clothes, it’s probably why my electric bill is so high.” It was warm in her apartment and he doubted it was just from the stove. 

“Mm, neither do I.” Jesus, was he coming on too strongly? He didn’t want to scare her.  No matter what, he still valued her friendship. He wondered what would become of it once this was all over. 

“Oh, well, it looks like it’s almost done.  Let me get the colander.” She slipped out from under his arm and began the search for the strainer, placing it in the sink when she located it. “Okay, um, drain the pasta.”

Mytho obliged and poured the spaghetti out. 

“Just, go ahead and sit down, I’ll get plates and stuff.” Ahiru raced around, placing the noodles back on the stove and collecting plates to dine off of.

When she placed his dinner down in front of him and he prayed for his meal before he ate.

“You’re religious?”

“When you live with demons and the devil himself you don't question if there is a God above.”

Ahiru ate in silence, shyly looking up at Mytho through her lashes between bites. He didn’t take his eyes off her. 

“Say, how’s Rue?” Obviously sick of the silence 

“I dunno, haven’t talked in awhile.” Mytho shrugged.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Say, do you like dancing?”

“I do, a lot actually, but I can’t.”

“Nonsense.” Mytho shook his head, “Anyone can dance, you just need the right partner.”

“Are you saying you’re the right partner?”

Mytho leaned forward, “I can be.”

She blushed and put her fork down. “Okay, um, when did you want to go?”

“There’s a club in the next city over, not like the kind Fakir owns, it’s much classier than that. They play good music and have a great atmosphere.” Mytho placed his foot next to hers. “I think you would enjoy it.”

“I can’t dance-”

“Just lose yourself in the music and you’ll be fine.” He put his hand on hers. “I promise.”

Ahiru nodded, “Okay, when?”

“Friday, find a dress that’s comfortable to wear and dance in and meet me in front of your building at seven, it takes about thirty minutes to get there.” Mytho stood and took her plate.

“No, I can-”

“It’s polite to do the dishes for someone who's cooked for you. But please, stay and talk with me.”

“How do you know Fakir?”

Mytho was confused, he thought she didn’t like him. “He was a childhood friend, and so was Rue.”

“Oh.” Ahiru knit her brows together. 

“I was born in 1993, don’t worry, I’m not old like Rue and Fakir are.”

“You’re just a human?”

“Yes.”

“Then why do you associate yourself with werewolves and vampires?”

“A story for another time, liebling.” 

Ahiru held her head in her hands as she watched him to dishes, he even started washing the pots and pans and other dishes that weren’t from dinner. 

Mytho took in a deep breath, he couldn’t do this for forever, hopefully she’d fall in love fast because the guilt in his heart grew with each second. He looked at the clock and found that it was getting late.

“I should leave you to rest, liebling. You have work tomorrow, I presume.”

“I do, an- and you don’t have to, I mean, you can stay if you want.” 

“I only wished to check on you and should be making my way home.”

Ahiru nodded. He walked towards her and kissed her forehead, he walked to the door with Ahiru scrambling behind him. She waved good-bye and locked the door behind him, and as soon as she did, he nearly ran out of her building.

“Mytho?” 

Mytho’s head turned to the familiar voice and he looked down the alley to see a figure.

“Rue.” He went to her and cradled her head in his hand, placing the other on her waist and pulling her towards him. “I’m so sorry, I wish that Drosselmeyer never made me-”

“Sh, it’s okay, I understand, but let’s just go, okay?” Mytho nodded and Rue raced them back home, to her room.

He kissed her, apologizes falling from his lips. She lead him to her bed and wound her fingers through his hair. 

“Don’t leave me.” 


	6. Quod Diaboli Ignis

Ahiru felt a strange sense of deja vu as she looked through the racks of the local dress store with Lillie and Pique. She told them about what happened the other night with Mytho and asked if they would help her find a dress - especially since the only other dresses she had were her graduation dress and the dress she wore to The Scent - and they wholeheartedly agreed to. The Devil’s Fire, which is what the club was called, wasn’t a club, but a restaurant with a dance floor. The dancers were mostly classical dancers, nothing like the grinders and exotic dance moves displayed at The Scent, so Ahiru was determined to find a classy dress that went past her knees this time. 

Lillie had found a few nice things, but Ahiru didn’t think they really fit her and would tell her to put them back as nicely as possible, and Pique found some too, but they weren’t what she imagined.

“Well, what kind of dress did you have in mind then?” Pique asked, frustrated with how picky Ahiru had suddenly become.

“Something a little retro I suppose? Maybe red.” 

“I saw something like that!” Lillie piped up before racing back and sorting through the aisles. Ahiru put on a worried face, and Pique was very curious about what Lillie had found. 

She came bounding back with a red dress. 

“Here!” 

It had four white buttons at the top and was made with a swishy material. 

“Alright.” Ahiru took it back and slipped it on. It reached halfway to her calves and wasn’t tight or hugging her legs. The sleeves went down to her forearms and were see-through, which she thought looked rather nice. There was a collar on the dress, but the buttons started much farther down her chest in an attempt to show off cleavage. As if she had any. 

“What do you think?” Ahiru stepped out and spun in a slow circle so they could see.

“It’s really nice!” Pique said, “How are you gonna do your hair?”

“Um, I think I was just going to put it up in a bun.” Ahiru brought her braid around her shoulder.

“And shoes?” Lillie asked.

“I have black ones at home.”

It’s not exactly what Ahiru saw herself in, but if she put this back she’d never find anything else. 

Pique saw the look on Ahiru’s face. “Don’t worry, you’re just nervous about your date.”

“Am I?” Nervous? She wasn’t nervous, it was Mytho!

Well, maybe she was a little nervous. . .

Mytho was acting odd and she was just a rebound - Mytho wasn’t the kind to cheat so she assumed that he had broken up with Rue.  He just needed to get over her and Ahiru would be there for him.

Ahiru changed out of it and decided to buy it.

“You’re right, Pique, I am just nervous.”

“Mmhmm, and you’re on a roll!”

“Oh, she’s right!” Lillie agreed.

“A roll?”

“First with Fakir and now you’re stealing Rue’s boyfriend?”

“What! No it’s not like-”

“I didn’t realize you were such a heartbreaker!”

“Oh my! Next you’ll be dating a witch!” Lillie put her hands on her cheeks.

“A witch!” Ahiru shook her head, “No, no, no! I’m not dating Fakir or Mytho! He just needs me is all.”

Ahiru put the dress on the counter and the old woman behind it rang it up for her. 

“Either way, I want you to call us after your “not-date” so we can hear all about it!” Pique said.

Ahiru shrugged. “I’m off tomorrow so you guys can come over if you want.” She turned to the lady over the counter, “Thank you.” 

They began to walk down the street.

Lillie gasped, “Can we! I love having breakfast after a night of passion!”

“You aren’t getting any passion tonight, Lillie.” Pique shook her head but still smiled softly. “Ooh, I saw this hair tutorial online where you curl it and it looks really pretty, I think we should try it with you!”

“Really? I don’t know if we’ll have enough time to do that.” 

¨No, it’ll be great! I can do your hair and you can do your makeup and Lillie can do whatever Lillie does.”

“I can hand things to you, and I can put together her purse!” Lillie laughed, “All the essentials! Lipstick, a switchblade, band-aids, pads, extra bobby pins, hair ties, lotion, pepper spray.” 

“I won’t need that, Lillie!” 

“You might.  You’re pretty safe walking around with that bite mark - yeah I can see it! Do a better job at hiding it next time! - but you’ll be in another town where that bite mark is just a weird scar.”

“I forgot to cover it.” Ahiru rubbed her neck. She could  _ feel  _ the mark: the raised skin, the twisting branches of the miniature tree that marked her as Fakir’s. 

“You better do a good job around Edel.  I’m pretty sure she would kill you if she saw that on your neck since she sees you as an ally.”

Ahiru thought about what Pique said while still rubbing her neck.  She was protected by the mark here. “How many people in this town know about werewolves and the vampires?”

“Everyone is either one or a bookman!” Lillie said, merrily skipping along. 

“Bookman?”

“It’s what we call ourselves.” Pique explained, “Bookmen because, well, Edel told us vampires and werewolves should be kept fictional.”

“She really hates them, doesn’t she?”

Pique nodded. “She has her reasons.”

Ahiru began to chew through the information when Fakir appeared around the corner - wow, what a coincidence - “Fakir!”

Oh no, no, no, no, no, no! 

He would see the dress and ask her where she’s going and then- 

“Hello, Ahiru. Ahiru’s friends.” 

“Pique.”

“Hm.”

Ahiru swallowed. “You aren’t mad about me leaving, are you?”

“No, no I’m not, Retzel …” He paused, then continued, “Retzel and I had a talk. The next time you do leave, however-”

Ahiru tensed.

“Tell me so that I know where you are, it-it was very stressful to wake up and find you gone.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, I should have just taken you home.”

Ahiru furrowed her face. “Um, alright, well, I have to go, I don’t want to be late.”

“What for?”

“Ahiru has a date!” Lillie told him.

Ah  _ fuck. _

Fakir tensed now.  He glared but then let out a breath, “That’s for the best then.  If you’ll excuse me.”

He left them, walking down the block before crossing the street.

“Holy fuck! Lillie why did you say that!”

“What? It’s not like he reacted badly.”

She was right.  He didn’t react like some sort of monster.  He didn’t question her or try to stop her from going. What was wrong with him?

“Let’s go.”

Ahiru finally led them home without any other random pop-ups from unexpected visitors.

She slipped into the dress and pulled on skin-colored pantyhose underneath before stepping into her shoes. Pique pulled her over to her bathroom, sat her down on a stool she stole from the kitchen and began working on her hair.  She started her makeup: primer - her college roommate yelled at her for a whole hour when she learned Ahiru neglected to put on primer - a simple foundation, simple eyeshadow, and simple lipstick. However, Lillie didn’t like that and picked up the darkest shade of lipstick Ahiru had - which happened to be a poppy red that nearly matched the shade of her dress. 

“You know, I think in another life, I was a wigmaker for Marie Antoinette,” Pique said over the pins between her lips, “Doing hair is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

“In another life, I was an executioner.” Lillie said as she plopped the lipstick into Ahiru’s bag for reapplication.

“I’d believe that.” Pique huffed. 

“I was probably a duck in a past life.” Joining in on their game.  

Pique stopped curling and Lillie stared at her and the three broke into laughter. 

“I’m serious though! My - my mother once told me I looked like a duck that had all its feathers plucked!”  

Pique shook her head lightly, “Amazing. Well, there you go.”

Ahiru looked at her hair in the mirror, some curls were used to frame her face while others were piled on top of her head in a loose bun of sorts.  She liked it very much. 

“I told you it would look good.” 

“Now, remember Ahiru,” Lillie started, sneaking a switchblade into Ahiru’s clutch, “When

Mytho comes, he should be a perfect gentlemen.”

“Don’t let him harass you,” Pique added.

“Make sure he takes you home and not to his place!”

“And if he gets drunk, don’t let him feel you up!”

“Pique, Lillie, please! Mytho’s a complete prince.  I’ll be fine.” Ahiru smiled at them. It had been a long time since someone had cared about her well-being. 

“Well, we’ll be over in the morning so you can tell us all about it,” Pique restated.

“We’ll come as soon as you call! If you need us to laugh with you, grieve with you, or-”

“I’ll call once I wake up,” Ahiru cut her off, afraid of what came after grief.

There was a knock at the door and Ahiru leaped out of her chair. “He’s here!” she began, completely panicked. 

“I’ll get it.” Pique said, leaving the bathroom to let him in.

Ahiru and Lillie followed after - there was no need for Mytho to go through bedroom to get to the bathroom - and then Ahiru saw the look on Mytho’s face when she entered the room. 

“You look beautiful, Ahiru.” He offered her his elbow, “Shall we go?” 

Ahiru nodded and the four of them left the apartment. Lillie and Pique left the two alone as she struggled to lock the rusty door. With Pique and Lillie gone, he suddenly seemed much more intimidating. 

“I’ve called a taxi since it’s in the city over.”

“The city over?”

“Yes, I didn’t want anyone to see.”

“Oh.” He was ashamed to be with her. Of course. How did she not figure? Now the hair and lipstick felt silly, she should just take off the dress- 

“Oh, no! It’s just-” He paused trying to think of what was best to say. “My relationship was so potent that some people might not realize we’ve separated and might think-”

“You’re cheating.”

Mytho smiled nodded, “Yes, exactly.”

Ahiru felt better now that his intentions were clear.  She was just being silly. 

He took her down to the street and escorted her into the cab. The city they were going to was thirty minutes away so the two of them had to make friendly conversation.  

“So, um-” God, the only thing she knew about him was how nice he was and the fact that he was dating Rue! “Do you like to read?”

“A little.” Mytho stopped for a second and Ahiru was worried he would only give her one word responses. “When I was little, and all I had was Fakir - and Retzel, of course - all I ever did was read, but as I grew older I found comfort in dancing. I know, I know, it sounds silly- “

“N-no! Not at all! I really wanted to be a ballerina when I was little but I’m not very graceful.”

“You don’t have to be graceful, you just have to find yourself in music and let the notes carry you along. A dancer is never dancing alone: they’re in a continuous pas de deux with the music, unless they dance in silence, of course.”

“I- I’ve never thought of it like that. I guess I was so focused on my steps I stopped listening to the music.” Ahiru looked out her window.  They passed through the woods that surrounded their town. The silhouettes of trees flew past her as she considered Mytho’s words. In the dark, she could swear she saw a racing figure trying to keep up with the car and when they left the woods, she could hear a forlorn howl. 

_ Fakir. _

“Ahiru.”

Ahiru turned her attention back to Mytho. 

“Try to listen to the music tonight, instead of paying attention to your feet. And, uh, may I ask where your love of dancing come from?”

“My mother.  She was a dancer, or at least she wanted to be one. She was an exotic dancer for a while, to pay the bills, but whenever she auditioned for a ballet, they didn’t want her.  Until someone did.” Ahiru smiled at the fond memory of the troupe that accepted her mother into their production of  _ The Prince and the Raven.  _ “She performed one show before her illness started to attack her.”

“She died.”

“Yes, but she completed her dream, an- and seeing her on stage dancing with the brightest smile is what made me want to dance.” 

“How old were you?”

“Nine when she contracted the illness.  She died rather recently, though.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, she’s with my father and her mother.  She’s happy.” Ahiru smiled. “I know it.”

Mytho started to speak but the city came into view and Ahiru was blinded by the amount of street lights that lit up the boulevard. It was lucky if they could get the lamp lights flickering on the streets at night in Goldkrone. 

“What’s the name of the city again?” 

“Stadt von Eiche.”

Ahiru nodded. 

“Here,” the driver said when they got to The Devil’s Fire and Mytho paid him the fee. 

The golden lights added glam to the building as the red glitzy sign showed that, yes, they were here. There was no line, which was good and bad: the good was that they didn’t have to wait, the bad was that if there were only two other couples in there, Ahiru would be looked at. 

As the cab drove away and Mytho walked to the door, Ahiru took a step forward and bumped into someone.

“Hey watch it!” the man yelled angrily at her, but once he got a look at her, his eyes widened.  Before he could say anything, Mytho began escorting Ahiru inside. Ahiru looked back at the man with - strangely - blue hair and wire glasses. He studied her as well before he began to walk away. 

Luckily, the Devil’s Fire had many people, and there was a small waiting area with a few guests, but Mytho had reservations and they were whisked away to a table near the dance floor. Mytho pulled out her chair and she sat, turning her head to the jazz band that played softly in the front of the dance floor. 

“Let’s eat first.” Mytho pulled up his menu and Ahiru lifted hers, looking at the menu with pleasure. This was much better than the time she went dancing with Fakir, although she thought it was unfair to compare Mytho to Fakir, who had  _ bitten  _ her neck the first chance he got. Goodness, who does that? 

“Ahiru?”

“Huh?”

“What would you like to drink?” 

“Oh! Um-” Ahiru hurriedly searched through her menu to find the drinks and she just shrugged when the only thing she could find has a long list of alcohol.

He chuckled lightly. “Bring a bottle of champagne, please.”

“Right away, sir.” The waitress penned down his order and briskly walked to the kitchen. 

“Sorry, I was just daydreaming.”

Mytho waved it off. “You’re fine, liebling.”

Ahiru blushed. She forgot about that little pet name.

What had Fakir called her? Other than insults?

Damnit! Stop comparing Mytho to Fakir! 

Ahiru shook her head and smiled at him. “Um, after dinner, should we dance?”

“Yes.  Try not to eat too much.” 

Ahiru nodded, not sure she could eat anything with the way her stomach was tied in knots. 

The waitress came back with a freshly opened bottle and poured the two of them a glass and left the bottle on the table. 

Ahiru took a sip and the knots started to loosen. Maybe she wouldn’t be too nervous.

“Liebling, take a quick look at the menu so you’ll be ready next time.” 

“Sorry! I’m such a scatterbrain!”

Mytho laughed. “Not at all, just a little distracted.”

Ahiru smiled and looked at the menu, leafing through it until she found a soup that she would enjoy. When they placed the order, Mytho smiled at her the whole time, something kind and caring rested in his eyes, but something deeper rested right beneath that, something she couldn’t identify. 

Dinner went by fast, faster than she would have liked it, with light conversation and slight smiles. They sat for a moment to let their food settle before Mytho rose and offered his hand.  She took it and was pulled carelessly to the middle of the floor just as the band started the next number. 

Unsure of what to do, she looked at her feet to find the steps.

“Don’t.” Mytho’s soft voice caught her attention and she looked into his eyes, “Close your eyes and let the music be your partner.”

Ahiru obliged and let her eyelids fall. 

In the dark, the only sensation she had were her feet shuffling awkwardly across the floor, Mytho’s hands in hers and on her waist, and the soft, beautiful notes of the band. She followed her instincts blindly as they pulled her into a pas de deux. 

The swell of instruments guided her steps and she never felt so free in her entire life. 

Since she was a little girl, she had to be good for her mother who had to sleep in the day after a hard night’s work, she loved her mother too much to be rowdy. 

Once her mother contracted her illness, she had to be all the much better; the burden of taking care of herself and knowing her mother was going to die weighed heavily on her back.

In college she was determined to be all that her mother never could be, she would continue her mother’s dream even when she couldn’t. 

And in Goldkrone, she was all alone for all of four months before werewolves and vampires attacked her very existence.

Dancing- When dancing, none of that mattered. The ponderous weight of her past was lifted and she was free to fly across the floor with Mytho at her side. 

When the music stopped, she opened her eyes and looked back to Mytho, who bore a large girn. 

“You were beautiful!” 

Applause arose around them for the band and Ahiru joined them, exhilarated and ready for more. 

“I’ve never danced like that before!”  

“I told you! You can dance.” 

Ahiru nodded and was swept away with the next set. 

And the next.

And the next!

It felt like hours had passed and none at the same time when Mytho decided it was getting late.

“I think, if I start practicing again, I can become better!”

Mytho nodded.

“And then I can audition for a ballet! Christmas is coming up.  Maybe I can try to be in the nutcracker! I don’t even have to be the Sugar Plum Fairy! Any part would do!” 

“You should be the Sugar Plum Fairy.” 

“Maybe! But I have to practice first, and then, if I’m good, I’ll be in a ballet!” 

Mytho whistled for a taxi and opened the door for her. “If you practice, I’m sure you’ll be wonderful.”

Ahiru panted lightly, a mixture of exhaustion from dancing and prattling away at Mytho’s ear. 

“Mytho, thank you, it’s- “ Ahiru took in a breath. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had this much fun!”

A look of melancholy appeared in his eyes before he smiled at her, “Liebling, for you, all nights should be filled with this much fun and excitement.” 

The ride back was filled with comfortable silence. She rested her head on his shoulder as they drove back to their light town filled with nightmares and horrors. 

 

~

 

When Ahiru returned to her door a figure emerged from the shadows.

“How was your night?”

Ahiru nearly jumped out of her skin at seeing Fakir just suddenly appear. “Oh! It, um, it went well.” 

He nodded.

“Would you like to come in?” Ahiru asked once she got the door open. 

“I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Hasn’t stopped you before,” Ahiru said under her breathe, recalling the time he wrapped his fingers around her neck. 

He winced at the comment. 

She walked in and left the door open, signalling him to come in, or at least shut the door. 

He took the invitation and walked to her couch and sat down. 

“Why did you come?” 

He cleared his throat. “I just wanted to see how your date went.” He seemed to struggle with the word and Ahiru realized that he didn’t even want her to go.

“What does matter it to you?”

“I just-”

“I don’t matter to you.”

She looked back at him and there was something akin to pain in his eyes, like when you step on a puppy’s tail. 

But the look in his eyes didn’t matter to her anymore, she was done with his abusive statements, how he pushed and pulled her like she was his property. 

“I never mattered to you.”

“Ahiru-”

She turned her back to him. “You know it’s true.” 

She stood still, waiting to hear him leave, waiting for him to twist her arm behind her back in submission, to hear him call her an idiot, or - or something. She was trapped here, trapped in his claws, trapped under Rue’s glare, trapped by the bookmen and she wished she could run back to Mytho.  She wished she could call a cab and run away to Stadt von Eiche where she would never have to see any of them ever again. Where she could dance the night away with the music floating in her ears. 

She turned and saw him still sitting on the couch, but now with his head in his hands. 

Ahiru walked around him and into her bedroom before closing - and locking - the door. She took off the dress and began taking down the pins in her hair, she washed away her makeup and went into the kitchen to start a pot of tea. She poured two cups.

“Here.” She placed it in front of him and went over to the recliner and folded herself into the chair. 

He raised his head and looked at her, there was a scowl on his face and she almost regretted acting so calm in front of him.  

“There’s sugar and milk in the kitchen.”

He shook his head and began to drink the tea. 

She sat there, with him, and they drank their tea. 

“I’m going to bed.” She announced, going to place her cup in the sink. “Lock the lock on the doorknob at least when you leave.” 

She didn’t go to sleep, too afraid that he would come in, until she heard the door open and close. 

 

~

 

The next morning she considered not even calling Pique and Lillie, but she knew they would get angry with her if she didn’t and rang them up a little after ten. 

They didn’t take long and Ahiru recited to them the wonderful night she and Mytho shared over a cup of coffee while Lillie made French toast. 

“And then?” Pique prompted.

“He took me home and that was it.”

“What? No goodbye kiss?”

Ahiru shook her head, and averted her eyes.

“But something did happen after Mytho dropped you off?”

“What? No!” 

Pique shook her head and crossed her arms. “You can’t lie to me, Ahiru.  I’m a detective.”

“Really?”

Pique shrugged.

“You don’t work at the restaurant?” 

“Nope, that’s just for bookmen who don’t have any other jobs. It’s like charity.”

“I work there!” Lillie smiled as she flipped over a perfectly toasted piece of bread.

“Do you work in Goldkrone?” 

“Nah, I work in Stadt von Eiche.” 

Ahiru’s eyes lit up. “Where I went on my date last night?”

“Yeah, I drive in Monday through Friday.”

“Why don’t you live there and save on gas?” 

Pique rolled her eyes. “Edel insists that we live here in case we need to be called.”

“You don’t seem to respect Miss. Edel much, do you?”

“I don’t mind her so much, she’s just a little crazy sometimes, but I don’t mind staying in town, especially since I get to live with Lillie.” Pique smiled over at her.

“Oh, you guys are roommates.”

“Yeah, something like that.” Pique winked.

“Breakfast is ready!” Lillie put a plate of powdered french toast with a cute little strawberry in the corner, Ahiru decided to eat that first. “So Pique was saying something happened after Mytho left?”

“Oh shoot I was hoping you’d forget that.” 

“Nope! Tell us.”

Ahiru scratched the back of her head, well, maybe they could help her understand why Fakir was acting so weird. “You see, after Mytho left, Fakir showed up. . .”

“Fakir showed up!” Pique slammed her fork down and stood up. “Did he hurt you?”

“What! No! He would never-”

“Ahiru,” Pique pointed to herself, “Cop, I know the bruises of abuse when I see ‘em.” 

“Oh.”

Lillie nodded. “Especially the one you got on your neck a while back!”

Ahiru rubbed her neck, feeling the sudden need to cough. “No, he didn’t hurt me, but he was acting weird.”

“Weird?” 

Ahiru told them how he had showed up at her door, what she had said, and how he just sat there for hours until he left.

Pique and Lillie eyed each other before huddling and conducting a secret meeting. 

Ahiru kept her hands in her lap, her shoulders tense, and her eyes wide as she waited for their assessment. 

“You know what that mark means, right Ahiru?” Pique pointed to her neck where the small tree spread across an inch of her neck.

“Yes, I do.”

“Well, once a werewolf marks a mate, they don’t want to be separated. At all. He - as in any werewolf, not just Fakir - longs to be with his mate for every moment after he’s bitten her, or him, it shows ownership, yes, but, well- “

“It owns him too!” Lillie finished.

“Huh?” Maybe it was too early, But Ahiru didn’t understand what Lillie meant by that.

“What she means is that he longs to be with them every second, every hour, he doesn’t want to leave their side. Ever. I think it had something to do with Siegfried.”

“Yes!” Lillie agreed, “Siegfried was so in love with his wife, being apart was agony, so that translated into his wolf-thingies!”

“What does that have to do with Fakir?”

“Being away from you has become almost too difficult to bare, he’s probably going into some depressive state.”

“And telling him I never mattered to him made it worse.” Ahiru pouted. God, maybe she was an idiot.

“Yeah, but more subconsciously than anything.” 

“He did it to protect me, he didn’t mark me because he wanted to, or loved me.” 

“That’s probably why he was an abusive asshole, too!” Lillie said.

“Not that it excuses his actions!” Pique turned to glare at Lillie, “But he probably didn’t know how to deal with his new emotions, plus, as a werewolf he’s stronger than you and probably didn’t realise his own strength.”

“I figured that much.” Ahiru picked up her fork and poked at her food. 

“Let him be sorry first,” Pique advised, “Then you can give him the attention he craves.”

“Does he deserve it?”

“Fuck no, but at least that’ll stop him from bothering you in the middle of the night.” 

Ahiru nodded, taking a bite of her breakfast and finding no taste on it as she considered the words of her friends.  

 

 


	7. Vox

He had hurriedly ran home, confused and mystified over the fact that she wasn’t six feet under.

With no red eyes she couldn’t have been a vampire and wolves have no tell-tale signs except for their sharpened canines. Her eyes were as blue as crystal and her hair was as fiery as the sunset.

There was no way it couldn’t have been her.

But there’s no way it was.

When he had returned home, he threw down his bag and turned on the desk lamp before seizing a book and putting it down with a thump onto the oak wood table. He flipped through page after page when two lean arms curled around his shoulders.

“Come to bed, cocotte.” Kissing him lightly on the temple.

“Not now, I saw her.Today, in the streets.”

“Who?”

“The witch!”

“Oh. But she was alive hundreds of years ago! How could you have seen her?”

“Don’t be so dramatic, she died in the late 19th century. And that’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

“Mm, maybe she was just a look-alike. I wonder if my look-alike is as handsome as me?”

“Shh, just- I’ll get to bed in a minute.”

“No! I wish to see how this turns out!”

“Fine.”

With the rustle of a few more pages he found her.

“There! That’s her! Lady Gardenia Schwan.”

“She’s beautiful.”

“Yes, she was.” He studied the page, the eyes, the curve of her face before he nodded, “Yes, yes! It was her! The girl I saw had more freckles, but she must spend more time in the sun. Besides, ladies stayed indoors back then.”

“Well, now that you’ve found her?”

“I have to find out how she’s back.”

“Maybe it’s not her?”

He turned in his chair. “What do you mean?”

“Well, there is such thing as reincarnation.” 

“What?” He shook his head, “No way, it’s impossible!”

“You’re a witch, mon coeur, do you really believe in the impossible?”

“Witch or no, I’m no Buddhist.” He stroked his chin, “Perhaps she is merely a descendant.”

Sighing and shaking his head, his petit ami reached forward and grabbed a very ancient book from the shelf.

“Look.” He set down the book on the desk, “This section.”

Licking his lips, he obeyed. His eyes widened as he stared down at the page in disbelief. 

“When a witch has unfinished business, their soul - rather than becoming a ghost or poltergeist like a regular man - will be revived, new again, until their task is complete.” 

“I told you, liebling.”

“Liebling, lieb. You’re getting there.” He clasped his hand as he thought it over. “You know, I think I saw someone else too.”

“Did you?”

“His hair was so pale, the only kind of hair like that I’ve ever seen was the hair of Gardenia's husband.”

“Maybe he was just old.”

He laughed and shook his head, “No, lieb, here let’s go to bed.”

 

~

 

It became common to wake up and find Fakir on her couch, who had somehow found a way in without breaking any of her locks. She ignored him, going out her door and headed straight towards the kitchen. The first time she did so, she could have sworn she heard him whine, her heart pained but she had to remind herself that this was a wild animal and not a defenseless creature. She would make herself breakfast and a little extra - her mother didn’t raise an ill-mannered little girl who disregarded company, even if the company was a rowdy dog - and placed it on the coffee table. It was up to him if he was going to eat it or not. It had started to annoy her once the landlord started to notice a strange man going to her door nearly every night to break in, she told him that it was her friend and that she still hadn’t made him a key. 

God, was this how the rest of her life was going to be? A stray sleeping on her couch every night, eating all her food, not being useful in the slightest! And unless she contracted cancer anytime soon, their “mateship” - or whatever - would last until she was ninety. 

She couldn’t even enjoy her couch!

She had shows to watch! 

She had to sit on her floor!

That carpet was not fluffy or new, it was stale and stomped down!

One day, she got up the courage to talk to him, even though she didn’t know she needed to gather courage in the first place. She knelt down in front of him and looked into his glassy, unblinking eyes. 

Before she could even open her mouth he rose up from his position.

“I need to go talk to my mother.”

What?

His mother? She whipped her head around to ask what he meant but he was already gone, the door clicking - locked.

She pouted angrily, he better fix that attitude of his! There’s no inbetween with him! 

 

~

 

“Oh, Fakir! We were wondering where you had gone!”

Fakir didn’t pay any attention to her - fucking omega, didn’t know her place - as he marched over to Retzel. 

“There you are, I was wondering if we would ever get our Fakir back.”

“I need to go see Charon and mother.”

Retzel’s smile, or what little happiness that had rested on her face, had melted away and she nodded.

“Would your son like to go?” Fakir asked.

“I- “

“I think it would be good for him to get out of the city.”

She pursed her lips, considering, she nodded, “If you don’t have him back by dusk-”

“Don’t worry, I won’t take long.”

“You know where he is.”

Fakir nodded, turning and going up stairs, to the attic. “I’ll alert Hans as well.”

“Thank you.”

Fakir made his way up the stairs and into the third story where the dusty old attic had been turned into a little kid’s wonderland. Retzel’s son lived here, hidden away, and rarely did he ever get out. Ahiru was young, her ideals were new from what they used to be, women were independent and stood up for themselves. 

He needed a fresh pair of eyes, not old ones like his. 

“Karon?” He called. Fakir could sense the little boy instantly, he was hidden behind the toy chest closest to the door, but Fakir pretended not to notice. He called again. “Karon?” And immediately, the little boy pounced and bit Fakir’s shoulder. 

“Easy! I’m still healing from last time.” 

“Did I getcha Onkel Fakir?”

“Yes, you did.”

“Are you here to play?”

“No, I’m going out today and I’m taking you with me.”

Karon’s eyes lit up, “Really!”

Fakir nodded. His eagerness, his hope, it was so akin to Ahiru. If all went well, this would be helpful. 

“Yep, so let’s go.” Fakir picked him up and hauled him over his shoulder. The child laughed in excitement and Fakir smiled. Perhaps he should be gentler? Ahiru wasn’t a wolf after all, it wasn’t his place to, well, put her in her place, she wouldn’t respond to brute force. She was gentle, a bird in the middle of a hurricane. He should be the eye of the storm, not the wind. 

Fakir lead them downstairs - forgetting to tell Hans - and went to the garage. A small thing really, only large enough for two cars - the van and Retzel’s sedan. Retzel’s had the kid seat and he didn’t feel like moving it, or being seen in that van, so he took the sedan keys off the hook before opening the garage door. Karon was able to buckle himself in, he was so smart. Hopefully he would be smart enough to not unbuckle himself mid drive. 

“Make sure you stay down until we get out of town.” 

Karon nodded, pulling the blanket over himself as Fakir backed out. The drive out wasn’t too long and when Fakir said he could, Karon threw off the blanket and pressed his nose to the window. Karon never got bored on car rides, every time was a new experience, the green of spring, the white of winter, or the gold of fall all captivated him as they rode along. The drive was only thirty minutes, so when they arrived to that little farm house with the horses and chickens, Karon was bouncing in his seat at the smell of it all.

“I can smell them! I can smell them!” He said with each bounce, too excited to unbuckle himself, Fakir undid it for him and Karon raced out of the car until Fakir couldn’t see him anymore.

“Fakir?” An old woman called, she smiled and waved at him. “What are you doing here, honey?” 

“I came for a visit.”

She nodded in understanding and lead him across the farm. Vivian was Charon’s maid, she took care of the house with her husband and kept it nice for Fakir when he or Raetsel decided to visit; which became less and less often with time. Maybe he could bring Ahiru here, she would like it. 

Vivian lead him towards a guarded off area where two headstones stood. They read: 

_ Charon Schmid  _

_ 1879 - 1965 _

_ Halima Basilio _

_ 1880 - 1953 _

His dad deserved to be with them but he knew that his body has never been found.

“A moment, please, Vivian. Thank you.”

“Such manners.” She mumbled before walking back to the house. 

He knelt down in between their graves. “Mom, Charon, I need help.

“I’ve- well, mated someone and it’s killing me on the inside, I don’t know if I want to kill her, kiss her, or well… that’s not really something you tell your mother.” He coughed. “I’m so lost. In all this time, I’ve never had to be anything other than myself, although- I think I’ve turned into something else, something… Bad.

“Something you would disapprove of, mother.” He looked at her head stone and caressed it the way he would have caressed her cheek, the way he used to when she was alive. “However, I don’t know if I can change back to the way I was, the way I was as your son. I’m something I’m not and I’ve been this way for so long.”

“You can’t go back!”

Fakir looked up, confused, but saw Karon up on the fence. “What do you mean?”

“Mommy said that if something changes into one thing, it can’t change back, but it can turn into something else!”

Fakir’s brow furrowed as he looked up at Karon.

“So what you’re saying is that I can’t go back to the way I was?”

“You can’t go back! You can only go forward!”

“When did your mother teach you that?” 

“During english!”

“When writing you can go back and edit mistakes- “

“No! That’s not what it means!”

“Then what does it ‘mean’, Karon.”

“If you read a story, you can’t go back and read it like it’s new!”

His eyebrows furrowed deeper, “Because once you finish a story, even if you go back and reread it, your perspective has changed.”

“Yeah! You can’t go back because you're already in this part of the story!”

“So since I can’t go back to the way I was-”

“You have to be someone new!”

Damn, this kid was too smart.

“Onkel Fakir,”

“Yes?”

“When mama and I were going over character - um?”

“Development?”

“Yeah! When we were going over character de-vel-op-ment, she was saying that it was like climbing a wall, a person can start all the way down in the dirt - because they’re dirt - and climb their way up to the top where they’re in the sun and the grass and can take a bath cuz they probably smell from being in the dirt- “

“Yes, I understand.”

Karon nodded, “So they just climb out, and even though they slip sometimes, it’s still up to them to change.”

“So it takes time.”

“Lot’s and lot's of time!” Karon raised his arms up, almost falling off the fence before catching himself and laughing. “I’m okay!”

“Good.”

“Momma said that the best characters are the ones that change because they’re the most human-like.” 

_ Human-like _ .

A term he hadn’t heard in awhile.

“Come here.” Fakir gestured for him and Karon climbed over the fence. He patted the ground next to him and Karon plopped down next to him. “This is Charon and my mother.”

“Opa?” He leaned forward and traced the engraved letters, “Why is he a stone? Is he cursed too?”

“No, he’s dead.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t be upset, he lived a long, happy life.” And he did, Charon died surrounded by his family, no matter how small it was.

“And, Halie-ma?”

“Halima, my mother, she’s your great tante.”

“Oh, hi Tante.” He, like Fakir, ran his hand over the headstone.

“Was she a nice lady?”

“The nicest.” Fakir crossed his legs before grabbing Karon and placing him on his lap.

“Would she have liked me?”

“She would have loved you, Karon,” Fakir kissed the top of his head. 

“What did she look like?” 

“Well, she had dark skin like me, although she was a bit tanner. And she had long, beautiful dark hair. Most people say I look like her.”

Karon turned and squinted his eyes as he observed Fakir’s face. “She must have been very manly looking!”

Fakir’s eyebrows rose before he laughed, “Well, no, I have her nose and her eyebrow shape, and her lips, but the shape of my face is like my father’s. My eyes are like his, too.”

“Do you have any pictures!” 

“I’ll show you at lunch, but let’s go get flowers to leave for opa and tante, okay?”

“Okay! I saw some purple ones over here!” Karon dragged Fakir all over the land, picking up many different wild flowers - for they dared not to disturb Vivian’s flower garden - before laying them down before their relatives. 

“Thank you for seeing us!” Karon said. 

Fakir ruffled his hair before they walked to the farmhouse where Vivian had started on lunch. 

“Oh, I was wondering when you’d come back.” Vivian smiled as she chopped vegetables from her garden. 

“What are you making?” Karon asked, standing on tiptoes to try to see what was on the counter. With her foot, Vivian pulled out a stool for Karon to stand on.

“Stand on that, dear. I’m making soup today, it’s so chilly outside!”

As if her saying it brought in a sudden cool breeze, Karon shivered, “Yeah it is!” 

“Would you like to help?” 

Fakir sat down at the table, removing the jacket that he wore. It had been a long time since he had sat at this table.

“Fakir!”

“Yes, Karon?”

Stepping off his stool, he went over to his uncle, “Where are the pictures of tante?”

“Oh right, I’ll go get some.”

“Fakir, I have the photo album in the living room.” Vivian told him as he left.

Fakir nodded and searched for the ancient book filled with pictures of Charon and his mother. Now that he thought about it Raetsel would be in there too, he wondered if Karon had even seen a picture of his mother as a young girl. 

 

~

 

Rue stepped out of the car and told Mytho to wait, she wouldn't be long.

“Do you really have to wear that?”

Rue looked down at the dress and cloak she wore. Relics from her days before her eyes grew red. “It feels wrong to see them in anything else.”

Mytho nodded and put the car in park. Rue walked across the dying lawn, the house was covered in ivy, she wondered if it was close to collapsing soon. She walked over to the one area that was still green and alive, the rose buds gone from the growing cold. From the basket she carried, an old and rotting basket, she pulled two bouquets of red roses and placed them in two places on the lawn. She sucked in breath before she bowed down before the two nonexistent graves. 

“Hello mother, father.” She swallowed, she had neglected coming her for a long time, she hoped their spirits wouldn’t be too cross with her. “I know, it’s been a while, and forgive me, but Drosselmeyer, he’s become more demanding, I can barely go anywhere anymore without him sending someone to follow me. It’s been difficult, to say the least.”

Rue brushed at the wrinkles in her dress, it was so frail, she’d have to mend it again soon. 

“I don’t know who I am anymore.” 

A sudden breeze caressed her hair and the warmth of her mother embraced her. Well, at least she was forgiven by one. 

“I finally paid off the house.” She said, looking up at the monstrosity that she grew up in. “It took a long time, especially since I don’t have an actual job, but I did it. No one will ever hurt us. Not again.”

She waited, perhaps a second sign would come. 

“Something terrible is going on, Mytho is being forced to trick our poor friend, Ahiru, and I want him to stop, every time he goes, my heart burns madly and I can only think of him leaving me.” A thick tear formed in the corner of her eye. “I love him too much. He’s never hurt me, ever, he doesn’t fear me, he loves me, he actually loves  _ me. _ ”

Rue pet the ground beside her. 

“What if he falls in love with her too? She doesn’t try to force him to be something he’s not.” 

An angry wind blew past her, rustling her hair and drying her tears, a dark feeling grew in her heart, a dreadful pain resonated there and her mind was filled with a plot. 

“Father?”

Nothing.

“Father! I - I can’t  _ do _ that!

“I can’t make him something he’s not!”

A third wind came, nearly toppling her to the side with it’s force, her heart palpitated and she nodded. 

“If that is the only way to make him mine.” She looked back, she could hear the car running slightly. “Then I will make him mine.”

Fortified, she stood and threw the hood of her cloak over her head, something deadly resonated in her eyes.

 

~

 

Ahiru locked the door behind her and let out a breath as she left the shop, the sun was setting and she opted to take the long way home, to stretch her legs and take a moment of quiet for herself. That quiet, however, did not last. Pique and Lillie, hand in hand, were up ahead. Quiet was over-rated. 

“Pique! Lillie!” She called, waving and rushing over to them. Surprisingly, when she came, they dropped each other’s hands and while she felt bad about that, the smiles on their faces made her feel wanted by them.

“Hey, Ahiru, heading home?” Pique asked when Ahiru caught up.

“Yep! Just locking up shop for the night.”

“So how’s Mytho!” 

“Lillie! God, at least try to be more subtle!” Pique chided but Ahiru just laughed.

“It’s fine, it’s better than what I thought it was going to be.” Ahiru brushed a loose hair behind her ear. “He’s so kind - and I know I’m just a rebound relationship, but it’s been nice to have a guy who appreciates me rather than - well - whatever  _ Fakir _ thinks he’s doing.” She said his name like a curse and she was surprised by her own mean spiritedness, but she had to remind herself that Fakir was a no good son of a- 

“Yeah, well, maybe Fakir will start to back off and just fuck some unfortunate omega.”

“Pique!” Ahiru clasped her hand to her mouth.

She shrugged, “What, it’s pretty much what they do.”

Ahiru was reminded of her night at The Scent, of the two girls practically sitting on his lap. She wondered if that’s what they were trying to do, to- 

“Still, that’s rude, they’re still people.”

“Ah, right, of course, a monster that transforms into a supernatural beast that eats innocent animals and people.  _ Right. _ ”

Ahiru didn’t miss the heavy prejudices that drenched Pique’s definition of what Fakir was, she could imagine that Rue was worse in her eyes. “Raetsel and Lysander are sweet, though- “

“Well, they aren’t all good!”

“Pique…” Lillie warned, putting a soothing, small hand on Pique’s shoulder. “There are some things that shouldn’t be brought up.”

Ahiru was confused but didn’t want to bring up any bad memories. She had already interrupted their walk. 

Ahiru smiled and pointed to her building as they came to it, “Well, I’ll see you two around then.” She crossed the street, not noticing their silent goodbyes. 

Apparently, things were a lot more complicated than what she had thought.


	8. Stella et Catulus

She didn’t really know what to expect.

At some point or another, Retzel had invited her over to talk about a few things, and probably try to apologize on Fakir’s behalf, but Ahiru liked Retzel and wasn’t too opposed to seeing her.

It was Wednesday so she had started walking over after the flower shop closed. Fortunately, Retzel didn’t live too far away from the shop. Today was slow and boring, walking an extra mile - while not hard - was still more effort than she wanted to put in. And, while she was hopeful, she knew she’d have to deal with Fakir at some point or another.

She took a deep breath. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, maybe it would only be Retzel she would be talking to.

The club wasn’t open, which wasn’t surprising, so when she knocked on the door, she didn’t have to shout.

“Hello, Lysander” She said, smiling and waving.

He just gave her a gruff nod as he let her in.

On the dance floor, a group of people - who must have been wolves - were fighting each other. There were howls of entertainment so Ahiru could only assume it was what they did for fun. Some recognized her and waved and she waved back. Others, who she recognized as the girls draping themselves all over Fakir, sneered at her as she passed.

Ahiru had moved to go up the stairs but was met instead by Retzel.

“Ahiru! I thought I smelt you!” She smiled before taking her up to the next floor and into a rather large kitchen and dining room. “Dinner?”

“Um, sure.” Ahiru leaned her elbows on the counter and cradled her chin in her palms. “What’s on the menu Miss Retzel?”

Retzel chuckled. “Have you ever had deer?”

“Um-“

“Oh don’t worry, it’s actually rather good.”

All Ahiru could think of was Bambi and his mother. But she ate cow and chicken, what difference did it make?

Retzel had brought up some things, small talk really, but Ahiru was invested anyway.

“Hold on for just a second.” Retzel squeezed the bottom of her lip and let out a high pitched whistle and a slow Lysander came up the stairs. “Do you have the deer all prepared?” He nodded. “Fetch it for me please?”

“Miss Retzel, can I ask you something?”

“Huh?” Retzel looked up from her cookbook. “Oh sure?”

Ahiru started to fidget. “About you’re, um-“

“The mark?”

Ahiru nodded, slightly - very - red in the face.

Retzel turned the stove down slightly before pulling at the collar of her shirt. Hers was on her shoulder.

It looked like a smudge.

“Why can’t I-“

“Because you’re not a werewolf.” Retzel let her shirt fall back into place and turned to her guest.

“What is it? For those who can see it?”

“A bullet.”

Ahiru was a bit taken back, and it was obviously evident because Retzel threw back her head in laughter.

“Hans is a hunter, always has been. I bit him too, you know.”

“You can do that?”

She nodded, humming affirmation, “But I don’t think you’ll be able to until you’re a werewolf.”

Ahiru felt warm, “That’s- wait! That’s not what I-!”

She was interrupted when Lysander returned and replaced a tub of meat on the counter.

“Thank you!” Retzel leaned up and kissed his cheek and he smiled down at her before leaving.

“What’s yours? I mean - what does his mark - from you - look like?”

Retzel smiled, “A daisy. It’s rather simple, but it was the first gift he had ever given me.”

Ahiru’s heart melted.

Retzel began to chop up the meat and add it into the saucepan.

“That does smell good.” Ahiru admitted.

“It does, doesn’t it? It smells great raw, too.” She laughed at Ahiru’s grimace. “I am a wolf, you know.”

“But you’re human, too.” Ahiru scrunched up her nose. “It’s just weird to think about. Although, Rue did eat someone’s heart. Am I remembering that correctly?”

“Oh goodness, that girl.”

“You know Rue?” Ahiru perked up.

“Of course, I did help her sneak Mytho out of the house every now and then.”

Ahiru tilted her head, preparing to ask her what she had meant when she had made the high pitched whistle again, and this time everyone came into the room.

“Help me serve, okay?” Retzel asked and Ahiru could only nod as a whole pack of wolves came into the kitchen.

They acted like dogs.

All clambering trying to get their food, excited and hungry.

Some sported bruises from the earlier wrestling match. They would smile and nod at Ahiru as she gave them a plate with vegetables on them before Retzel ladled the sauce over the deer. She shouted at them to eat their vegetables and some groaned while others knew the drill.

There were a lot. A lot more than she thought. Maybe fifty sixty wolves, and at least ten of them were females trying to worm their way into Fakir’s-

“Will you take these up to the attic?” Retzel smiled innocently before handing her two plates.

Some of the wolves were already finished and put their dirty plates in the sink. “Hey, you better get back here and wash those!”

Ahiru went to the staircase and went up until she reached - out of breath - the attic. She heard voices, one young and one older but still soft. She pressed the ear against the door and heard what was undeniably Fakir.

She had just walked in on an argument because the little boy was trying to argue that he should go outside more often. Fakir, being the voice of reason told him no, for the hundredth-billionth-79th time no. The long number had the little boy in a fit of giggles.

“Besides I think we have a guest.” She heard Fakir say as he came to open the door. “Ahiru?”

Ahiru nodded.

“Come on in.”

“I have dinner.”

“Yay I’m hungry!” The little boy jumped up and down, “What is it?”

“Uh, deer.” She handed him the smaller plate and could only assume the bigger one was for Fakir. “Um, here.”

He thanked her and sat down at a little kids play table with the little boy.

Fakir looked different. He didn’t have on the attarie of a club owner, like he normally did. Instead he was barefoot and wore a simple t-shirt and jeans. It looked nice on him.

“What do we say?” Fakir asked the little boy.

“Thank you!”

“Oh, um-“ Ahiru began, “You’re welcome-“

“Karon.” Fakir said.

“Karon. You’re welcome.”

Fakir didn’t choose to say anything else and Karon was wrapped up in his meal, so she turned to leave. “Ahiru.” She froze when she heard her name.

“Don’t forget to eat your vegetables!” She said instead of staying, rushing down the stairs to eat her own meal.

She found that the wolves had devoured their food and left, leaving nice clean stacks of dishes.

Retzel was at the table eating slowly with who Ahiru could only assume to be her husband Hans.

“Here, I saved you a plate.”

“Um, who was that with Fakir?”

Retzel smiled, “That was my son, Karon.”

Ahiru’s eyes widened, “You have a son?”

She let out a small laugh. “Yes,” She grabbed Hans’ hand under the table. “It took so much time, and there was a lot of pain, a lot of loss, but once I carried Karon to term, we were so happy.”

Ahiru nodded, taking a bite of the deer. Surprisingly, not bad. She thought back to the little boy who looked so much like Retzel but with Hans’ eyes. “Fakir, is -?”

“Fakir is his pate and onkel.” Retzel turned her head to look out the one window in the room, it looked out into an alley, a redbrick building was her view. “He’s done so much to make sure Karon was safe and healthy.”

“Safe? How do you mean?” She took another bit of her meal.

“Karon, as far as we know is the only one of our kind.”

“But Pique said that the bite helps reproduction.” Ahiru brushed her fingers over her neck.

“No.” Retzel shook her head. “It doesn’t, unfortunately, otherwise there'd probably be a ton of werewolf children running around.”

“Oh.”

“No, the bite mark strengthens the connection between two mates, but there’s something about our biology that makes it more difficult.” Retzel tapped her chin, probably trying to figure out the best way to put it. “I can turn at any time, it doesn’t have to just be under the full moon, but I can’t choose to not turn.”

Ahiru took a bite of food, content to just listen and eat what was a rather good meal.

“A wolf is still a mammal, like a human, but there are differences that have caused problems, well, who knows it might have just been me.”

“No, mein schatz.” Hans said to her.

She smiled fondly at him. “When Karon was born, Fakir was worried that the vampires would try to come after him, kidnap him for randsom or just kill him. Fakir, for a long time, guarded my son, only leaving when his body forced him to change. He loves that little boy with all his heart and wants to protect him and keep him safe.”

Ahiru nodded. From what she had seen, Fakir had been very gentle with the boy, he wasn’t getting irritated and was patient.

“I do want to apologise for his behavior, and what he’s done to you. That kind of behavior is rather normal here, the wolves are very used to rough housing, but that doesn’t mean it was okay to leave you black and blue.”

“It’s been a long time since he’s been overly aggressive towards me.” Ahiru thought back to the Red Rat, how Fakir had tried so hard to be so gentle.

“But, that’s not why I invited you over; finished?” Ahiru nodded as Retzel collected their plates, Hans offering to clean up while Retzel was talking to Ahiru. She hooked her arm with Ahiru’s as she lead her down the hall into another room that looked like a library. “I know, not the best place to house a library, but we do like to read from time to time.”

Ahiru was lead to a couch underneath a window, which looked over the street rather than the brick building, and waited for Retzel to start talking.

“This used to be the house of Siegfried. It used to be smaller, we’ve done some renovating.”

“I thought he wasn’t rich.” Ahiru wondered, the house was a good four or five stories.

“Part of the renovation. It was a simple two story house with a basement.” Retzel smirked. “You’ve seen Siegfried right?” Ahiru nodded. “Well you know that there’s a cave down there, of sorts. That wasn’t there at first. It was carved out so he had a place to do witchcraft. It was a very important thing that witches were connected to the earth when they practiced, and since people were against it at the time, he and his wife carved out the cave so they wouldn’t have to travel into the woods.”

“Oh, that’s actually pretty smart. So when he trapped Drosselmeyer into the fire, the reason he was trapped into the cave walls is because that’s where he was when he cast the curse.”

Retzel smiled and nodded. “That is what we believe, from what little he can tell us when he comes.”

“And Drosselmeyer was where he was?”

“No,” She shook her head. “He was actually in the middle of a fight with the wolves when he changed, apparently he commanded Rue to take him back to his home.”

“Wasser Castle?” Ah, something Ahiru knew!

“Yes. Although it wasn’t called that then. Only after Drosselmeyer had ordered any and all water to be removed from the premises. I don’t know how but, even when it rains, it remains dry. It must be some kind of magic.”

Ahiru nodded. “It is strange, but with werewolves and vampires and witches, it’s not very hard to believe.”

Retzel chuckled. “True. For all we know, one of Drosselmeyer’s bloodsuckers could be a witch.”

“Hey, Retzel?”

“Hmm?”

“Why was Siegfried’s home turned into a club.”

“Oh, that’s actually rather interesting.” Retzel brought up her legs, folding them under her. “The first alpha after Siegfried was a man named Raven, he had fully embraced the fact that he was a wolf and not a man, he quit his line of work and forced most of the pack to as well, with no source of income they made the old place a dancing hall, which wasn’t too hard.”

“And people came?” Ahiru didn’t think they had things like that back then.

“Not at first, it was just friends of the pack, but soon word got spread and many people came. People like to dance, no matter who they are.”

“Yeah, people do like to dance.”

“Over the decades, it changed to accommodate the style of dance and music people liked - jazz, swing, disco, techno. It’s actually rather nice, and I’m pretty sure there are many other clubs all over the country that are run by werewolves.”

Ahiru perked up, “Wait, there are other packs?”

“Under the control of Siegfried, they all pledge allegiance to him, but they don’t want to stay in such a small town. I find I don’t mind, I like the quiet, well, except at night.”

“It probably gets rather noisy at night.”

“Oh it does. We actually get a lot of people traveling from all over the country and other places in Europe simply because of its historical value and prestige.”

Ahiru thought back to the night Fakir marked her, to all the dancers. They didn’t act like tourists admiring antiques.

“Why are you telling me all this?” She suddenly had the inclination to ask.

“Oh, well that’s simple. Even if you don’t fall in love with Fakir, I don’t think he’ll ever let you get that far from him. I figured we should at least chat and become friends.”

Just then a little ball of energy come rushing into the room and barreling into Retzel’s middle. “Oof! Well hello my heller stern.” Retzel brushed the hair out of his eyes before a running, disgruntled Fakir came to the doorway. “Kätzchen, I thought you were watching my son.” She kissed the top of his head.

Ahiru hid her snicker, it was a shock to hear Retzel call big bad Fakir a kitten.

Fakir cleared his throat. “We were playing hide-and-seek, I was counting so I had my eyes closed, I heard the door open and assumed he was going in the closet. I didn’t think the little monster was planning on escaping.”

“Mutti, who's the girl who smells like Onkel Fakir?” Karon took a strong sniff of Ahiru. “I thought everyone was supposed to have a un- um- unee-”

“Unique.” Fakir said, walking into the room and towards the couch, stopping a foot away.

“A unique and special scent!” He gleamed as he finally got the correct word.

“Yes they do,” Retzel said, a devilish smile reached her lips. “But Ahiru and Fakir are very close together so their scents have mingled.”

“Oh, like you and papa?”

“Yes, just like me and papa.” They were both a bright red.

“Fakir, can the girl that smells like you come play with us?”

“Ask Ahiru yourself.” Fakir said, emphasizing her name in hopes he would use it.

“Miss Airoo, will you come play with me and Onkel Fakir?” Karon had walked over the couch cushions onto Ahiru’s side.

“Of course.” Ahiru smiled sweetly.

“Yay!” Karon threw his arms up in the air and Fakir swooped in and picked him up.

“No more running off, right?” Fakir asked him.

Karon nodded.

Fakir let out a breath, “You scared me, okay, don’t do that again.”

Ahiru followed him up the stairs a few flights into the attic.

“Miss Air-woo, um.”

Ahiru bent down, “Why don’t you call me Duck? It’ll be a special name only you get to call me.”

Karon’s eye lit up. “Okay Miss Duck!” He took her hand and began showing her all of his toys, his books, the little desk where he did homework.

“What do you learn?”

“Um, papa and I have been going over colors, trucks, and animals while mama has been teaching me symbolism, metaphors, static and dynamic characters, and Onkel fakir has been teaching me numbers! I can count to 12!” He then proceeded to count, once he got to 12, he tried to go further but started messing up. “Um - 16, 14-”

“13.” Fakir said, helping him get to 20, supplying each number for Karon to repeat.

“That’s very good, Karon.” She then turned to Fakir. “Isn’t, um, static and dynamic characters a bit advanced?”

Fakir shrugged. “Retzel insists that he learn it.”

“Can he read?”

Fakir shook his head “Nope.”

But upon hearing that, Karon started shouting out his ABC’s. Fakir had a gentle smile on his face as he watched Karon. Ahiru had to wonder if he had ever looked like that before.

“Do you want to play a game, Miss Duck?”

Ahiru nodded, “Of course I do.”

Karon pulled out one of the board games, but having pulled it from the middle, the rest fell around him. “Oops.”

“Careful, stern.” Fakir scolded lightly, fixing the boxes back up.

Karon plopped down and started to play the game but never really finished it. Another toy caught his eye and he tried to build a ramp for his cars. That didn’t last very long either.

It had only been an hour but Fakir decided it was bedtime for Karon.

“Come on, let's get ready for bed.”

Karon huffed. “But, onkel! I’m not even tired.”

“Too bad.” Fakir swooped down and picked him up. “Ahiru would you get his pajamas? They should be under his pillow.”

Ahiru moved to get them as Fakir set Karon in front of his hamper, removing his clothes and putting them in. “Arms up.”

Ahiru picked up the pair of dinosaur Pajamas and brought them over, not really knowing what to do, but wanting to help nonetheless.

“I’ll go get his water, put on his pjs?” Fakir instructed before going down to the kitchen.

Ahiru scooted over so she was in front of Karon more. “Here, arms up.”

“Duck?” He started, Ahiru gave him permission to continue. “Are you gonna be my new Tante?”

Ahiru could feel the blush. “I don’t think so, Karon. I only like your Onkel Fakir as a friend.”

“Why?”

Ahiru couldn’t tell this little boy that one of his family was an abusive asshole, that’s just not something you say to a child.

But, after seeing him interact with this boy, being so sweet and tender, maybe she was starting to remove the asshole part of that description.

“Is it because he’s mean?”

“No, your Onkel’s a very nice man.”

Karon pouted and shook his head. “He likes to fight the other wolves. Well, they would always start it, but he’d always finish it.”

“I think the wolves like to fight for fun.” Ahiru said, pulling up his bottoms. “It’s like they’re playing a game.”

“So no one gets hurt?” Karon asked. “Papa fights a lot, too.”

Ahiru’s heart panged, she could see in his eyes how concerned he was about this. “No, they like to do it. No one fights if they don’t want to. Come on,” She stood and offered her hand. “Where’s the bathroom, it’s time to brush your teeth.”

Fakir stepped in then with a glass of water. “Drink first.”

Ahiru was dragged along as Karon was prepared for bed and even stayed for the bedtime story, supplied by Retzel on a normal night, but Karon had asked if Ahiru could read to him.

Retzel handed her _Pride and Prejudice_ , a ribbon bookmarking a page in the middle of the book.

She read a chapter, Karon enrapt by the story.

“Is she gonna get with Darcy?”

“I don’t know.” Ahiru said. “We’ll have to finish it and find out.”

He pouted, “That’s what mama always says.”

Fakir came forward and brushed the hair away from his face. “You’ll just have to keep reading.” He kissed his forehead and backed away allowing Retzel and Hans to give him good night kisses as well. Karon then turned to Ahiru, expecting. She leaned down and gave him a kiss as well.

“Night-night, Miss Duckie.”

“Good night.”

“I’ll walk you home.” Fakir offered and Ahiru took it. She had wanted to talk to him, about their situation.

Down below the club was almost on mute, some people where there, but they were mostly there for the bar and the company, not the dancing.

It was chilly outside, making Ahiru shiver.

“Listen, Ahiru, I need to apologize for my behavior. It’s been a while since I’ve been human.” Fakir waited for a response but when he didn’t hear a sound from Ahiru, he continued. “In the pack you have to be aggressive, or at least that’s how it used to be, before I was in charge.”

“How do you mean?” Ahiru asked.

“You’ve watched movies with werewolves right?” She nodded. “They always show them as aggressive, and a lot of times, alone. The old alpha was much like that, he liked being like that, always fighting, making sure others knew that he was above and they were below.”

“I saw them fighting when I came in, though.”

“They like to play fight - and while it often gets bloody - it is just rough housing.”

“And they like it?”

“Surprisingly, most of them are from Siegfried’s time and Raven’s - the old- “

“I know who he was, Retzel told me about him.”

“Hans was changed in 1988 I believe, and he’s the most recent, at least in this pack. Do you know-?”

“Yeah, Retzel mentioned the other packs as well.”

“So most of them knew Raven and the way he worked.”

Ahiru nodded. “So, you knew Siegfried?”

“Me? No, Retzel and I were turned in the 50’s.”

“Oh.” Ahiru walked for a moment, thinking over the information. “Wait, wouldn’t someone older be the alpha?”

“No, technically, the alpha is the most aggressive male in the pack -”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

Fakir nudged her with his shoulder. “Let me finish.”

She giggled and Fakir smiled down on her. “Go ahead.”

“But, the wolves didn’t know what to do. With Raven gone, they needed guidance and since I- well, um.” He cleared his throat. “Killed him, they looked to me for -”

“Wait, you killed him!” Ahiru’s eyes widened.

“Listen.” Fakir stopped and turned to her. “He had hurt a lot of people, changed them without permission and ate humans - yes, I know - he was a monster, what the Bookmen think werewolves really are.”

“He, ate people?” Ahiru moved a hand to her stomach, suddenly feeling sick.

Fakir moved a hand to her shoulder, placing his other on her arm, as if to help steady her. “Breath.”

“W-why?”

Fakir started to rub her arm. “He turned his back on his human nature. Most of the time, he stayed in his wolf form, only changing back when his body forced him.”

“Are- are you afraid that you were starting to become him?” Ahiru asked, swallowing hard.

His grip tightened. “Yes.”

“Oh.” She didn’t think she would get such an honest answer. She expected name calling and anger. “Well, you haven’t eaten me yet so you’re not that bad, and- and the one time I saw you change was to protect me, so.”

“I may not have, but I haven’t been kind to you either.”

“But. you can be.” Ahiru looked up into his eyes, which looked a million miles away. “I saw you with Karon, you’re so compassionate with him.”

“Come on, let’s get you home.”

 

~

 

Rue sat in the bed, she could hear him, her father, she had no idea how, but he was there, a voice in her head, telling her things only he knew.

Going to the lake as a young girl with him and her mother.

Taking the dog out for walks every evening.

The summer that they all helped her mother in the garden, even how badly it turned out.

Kraehe, he called her, the name she had only heard being sneered at her by Drosselmeyer. Thrown in her face, mocking her. But, this voice was sweet, like her father’s before he started hurting her. Like when she was a child.

Kraehe.

Remember the kitten you saved from the rain? We couldn’t keep him because your mother was allergic.

Kraehe.

Remember when we took you on the train to the race track? You loved the horses.

Kraehe.

The roses?

Kraehe.

The scarf you made me. It was red. Our favorite color.

Kraehe.

Kraehe.

Kraehe.

“Rue?”

Rue jumped, not expecting Mytho to come in. “Oh, Mytho. I’m sorry.” She wiped at her eyes.

“Lieb-”

“Don’t call me that if you call _her_ that!”

“Sube, I’m sorry.”

“No.” She turned away. “No, I’m sorry, I - I don’t know why-”

He sat down on the bed next to her. “Don’t worry, I’m not upset.” He rubbed her arms up and down. “I understand how terrible the situation is, but I don’t blame you, not one bit.”

Kraehe.

“Mien maus, I don’t hold your attention.” He grabbed her chin, but her eyes were glassy, searching.

“I’m sorry.”

Mytho.

What? No, not -

Mytho.

She can’t.

Mytho was saying something but she couldn’t hear him; her heart was pounding.

“Mytho.” She said, trying to find his eyes. “Don’t leave me.”

“I won’t, I promise.” He pulled her to him, his arms holding her tightly to him. He kissed her head. “I love you.”

She looked over his shoulder and saw a shadow in the corner, but it was gone when she blinked her eyes.


	9. Et Perdidit Passion

“When was the last time you danced?”

Ahiru looked over at Mytho, who wore black leggings and a white, breathable shirt. He had agreed to do ballet with her since he had studied it as a child. 

“Last spring, my college had a showcase, I was just one of the background dancers, but it was fun!” Ahiru was still able to do the splits, even if her legs were just the slightest bit stiff. “Since then working in the shop hasn’t left me much time.” 

“Which college did you attend?”

“Oh just a community college in Stadt von Eiche.” She changed into a different stretch. “The teachers were actually rather good, but even they weren’t able to help me as much as you have.” She smiled and he returned it. “I suppose I was pretty good at the basics, but only because I had been practicing them for decades, but the teachers never tried to put much effort into helping me after they learned I was impossible.”

“That’s a real shame.” Mytho shook his head.

“Yeah, but they had some really good dancers in their classes, ones that will probably be prima donnas and donnos, so I can understand why they put more effort into the top students.” 

“Help me, what do you know?”

Ahiru thought for a second. “I know all the mimes, and the positions, I can go on point, it's just when I have to start moving that gets me.”

“Alright, lets start there.” Mytho had brought and set up his own barr so that they could practice like they would in a studio. Mytho stood facing her. “First. Second. Third. Forth. Fifth.” Once he saw that she was correct in that she had the basics mastered, he added in plies and releves. “You’re very good at this, Ahiru.”

“Thanks, just wait until I try to start dancing.” 

“Lets try going en pointe next.” 

Ahiru nodded and rolled onto her toes, going through the positions en pointe. 

Ahiru had moved her rug, coffee table, and once he got there, the sofa out of the way earlier so that they would have more room. So when he sent her traveling across the room, performing chaines, there was lots of space. 

“It might be tricky,” Mytho started as Ahiru took a short break to get some water. “But I do want to try to teach you a dance.” 

“Oh? Something easy, I beg of you.” She joked.

Mytho laughed under his breath, “I figured I’d try to teach you the love duet performed in Swan Lake.” 

“Siegfried and Odette’s pas de deux?”

He smiled and nodded. “It’s a little complex and lengthy, so I decided to just focus on the first half. I figure, if you can do this, you can do anything.”

Ahiru wore a pout. “I don’t know.”

“C’mon, trust me.” He took her hand and lifted her off the floor. “It’s just like dancing at the club. You let the music flow through you and guide your steps.” 

He lead her through the first five steps, which were simple to say the least, as she did not have to really move her legs. Mytho guided her steps and her actions, telling her to round out her arms, stick her leg up higher, curve her back just a little more. And, soon those first five steps were perfected by the pair, Mytho decided it was time for a break. 

Ahiru dropped onto the floor, allowing her arms and legs to relax and become useless, until she needed a drink of water. However, she became consumed with the desire to know how he knew how to dance. 

“Fakir and Rue.” Mytho laughed at the expression on her face. “I know, it seems wild, but they knew how.”

“How?”

“Once Fakir took me in, he decided I had too much energy and made me dance it out, since ballet was all he knew, he made me do that. Mostly russian style dances since they were fast paced and used up the most energy.” Mytho stared out the window. “When I met Rue in my teen years, she showed me how to perform more slow and beautiful dances, like Swan Lake and Giselle. I fell in love with her then.”

“Oh.”

Mytho realized what he said. “Not that I still love her, she was just my first is all.”

Ahiru giggled, “It’s fine, people can fall in love more than once, but are you sure you don’t love her anymore?”

Mytho moved a piece of hair behind her ear. “Not anymore.” He changed the subject then. “Rue grew up in a rather rich family.”

“She told me; her dad was a doctor.”

“Right. Well, in that time it was custom for a a high status lady to be well versed in the arts, and since her mother had been a ballerina, she enrolled her daughter. She was going to go to Paris, but she just couldn’t bare parting and neither could her mother, so they hired a live-in teacher. During her time of abuse, ballet was a way for her to get away from it all.” 

“It makes me so sad when I think about what happened to her.” Ahiru puller her knees to her chest. “It is true, right? I want to trust her, but. . .”

“I’ve been to the house where she used to live.” Mytho looked at her and mimicked her position. “There’s a portrait there of a young girl, a doctor, and a beautiful woman with green eyes. Rue looks just like her. Besides her eyes, of course.”

“What color were Rue’s eyes before she changed?” Ahiru rest her cheek on her knees as she looked at him.

“She said that they were brown, like her father's.” Mytho closed his eyes, as if to picture it. 

“I bet they were beautiful.” Ahiru decided. “What time is it?”

Mytho looked at the clock on her wall. “Just about four thirty.”

She hummed lightly to herself. “How about we practice for another hour, shower and I’ll start making dinner.”

“What do you have?”

“I have the great selection of hamburger helper and maybe some bratwurst.” Ahiru thought for a second. “Actually maybe just hamburger helper.”

Mytho laughed. “How about I call Ebine’s and get something delivered.” 

“They do that?”

“No, but they do it for bookmen.”

Ahiru pinched her eyebrows together. “Bookmen? Mytho, are you a bookman?”

“Of sorts.” Mytho stood and Ahiru followed. “My father was one, as long as Edel doesn’t answer the phone they’ll do it.” 

“Edel doesn’t like you?” 

“My father.” Mytho moved to start up the music again. “In her mind, he betrayed her and the bookmen, and somehow that means I betrayed her too, even though I was just a little boy when it happened.” 

Ahiru didn’t feel like pushing further and they went through the next five steps before putting together all ten at the end of the hour, practicing it a few times through before he let Ahiru get into the shower as he called Ebine’s. 

Nice and clean she pulled on a pair of shorts, a tank top, and a sweater that covered her hands. As Mytho went into the shower, she laid on the floor of her barren living room and nearly fell asleep until the door bell sounded off. Mytho was still in the shower, but she had already decided that she would cover for dinner, it was just her luck that Mytho couldn’t object to it.

“Pique!” She said as she opened the door. “I’m so glad it’s you.”

Pique handed her the bag and rattled off a total. “Yeah, well, I figured I knew the address already so I made Malen let me go instead.” 

Ahiru put down the bag and went to her purse, but when she returned to the door Mytho was already paying her. When had he gotten out of the shower? 

“Hey, Ahiru, why did you move all the stuff out of the way?” Pique asking, vaguely gesturing to the open space. 

“Oh, well, Mytho and I have been practicing ballet all afternoon.” Ahiru smiled tiredly. 

“I didn’t know you did ballet, that’s cool!” She said to both of them. “Anyway, I better get back before I get yelled at. Later you two.” 

They waved at her before shutting the door and Ahiru hit him in the shoulder playfully.

“I was gonna pay for that.” She crossed her arms.

“No, lieb, you shouldn’t ever have to pay for a thing.”

Ahiru blushed but shook her head at him. “C’mon, I’m hungry.”

Mytho and Ahiru leaned against the wall and Ahiru put on a movie. “What did you get?” 

“Oh, not too much.” Mytho pulled out a couple of boxes and Ahiru pounced on one she knew the smell of immediately.

“Ugh, breadsticks!” She threw her head back as she placed the box in her lap. “I’m not sharing.” 

Mytho laughed, “There’s more, you know.”

“Who cares? I have breadsticks.” 

Although the next dish out changed her mind. 

 

~

 

“I’m not saying that they’re bad!” Mytho defended himself after arguing with Ahiru for some time.

“Yes you are!” Ahiru laughed. “The real endings are sad- “

“But it’s important that they’re sad! They’re supposed to be sad.” 

Their plastic containers were scraped clean and forgotten on the sidelines.

“But happy endings are so much better!”

Mytho shrugged. “Not everything in life is happy.” 

“Shouldn’t we have a way to escape from the horrors of reality then?” Ahiru reasoned. 

“We certainly should, but those stories were made to be sad.” Mytho had started to use his hands to emphasize his points. “Sometimes when your sad, you want to read a story that’s sad too, so you know you’re not alone in your pain.” 

“Hmm.” Ahiru put her hand on her chin. “I still don’t think Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame should end with all the characters dead.” 

Mytho let out a heavy laugh. “I totally forgot that was our original point.” He ran his fingers through his hair and turned to Ahiru, letting his smile wash over her and she felt warm. 

There was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it.” She said standing to look through the peephole. “Fakir?”

She opened the door. “Hey Fakir, um, what are you -?”

“I came to check on you. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.” 

She smiled and nodded. At least he wasn’t as gruff anymore.

“Ahiru who is it?” Mytho asked when she hadn’t immediately returned.

“It’s Fakir!” She shouted back. “Would you like to come in?” 

“Fakir.” Mytho was suddenly next to them. “Was the Hunchback of Notre Dame a bad movie because of the fact that it had a happy ending, unlike the book.”

Fakir scowled for a second, and Ahiru thought he was going to tell them not to be so stupid. “The Disney one?” Mytho nodded. “It was bad because of everything they had to change not that they got to live.” 

“See?” Ahiru said. 

“But it’s still bad.”

“It has some redeeming qualities.” Ahiru shot back. “Like the music.”

Fakir nodded. 

“But don’t we need tragedy sometimes, Fakir?” Mytho asked, “To remind us that our pain isn’t our own? That our pain is shared.”

“Yes, but sad beginnings fit that ideal more than sad endings.”

Ahiru pushed Fakir forward slightly so she could shut the door. “How do you mean?” 

“Like Bambi. Sure his mom dies in the beginning, but he’s able to overcome that pain and live on to become the prince of the forest.” 

“A compromise then.” Mytho stated, “Sad beginnings are better than sad endings.”

“And happy endings are still the best.” Ahiru added.

“Ahiru, I should get going.” Mytho kissed her forehead, her eyes dashing to Fakir, who had looked away. “I’ll leave you the barr so you can practice without me. Do you need help moving things back into place?”

“No, I’ll make Fakir do that.” 

“Ah, true, he can do it faster than the two of us could together.” Mytho went into her room to pick up his bag filled with his dance clothes and shoes. He kissed her again as he went out of her apartment, leaving Fakir and Ahiru alone. 

“He’s teaching you ballet?” Fakir asked, smiling gently at the barr.

“Yeah, he said that you taught him.” 

Fakir nodded, going to the barr. “It was the only thing that wore him out as a child. What has he been teaching you?”

“Oh, well I know the basics so he was teaching me a pas de deux.” Ahiru felt her face grow hot.

“He learned that mushy crap from Rue.”

“You didn’t learn pas de deux?” Ahiru asked tentatively. 

“No, I did.” Fakir moved into first position. 

“Were they not your favorite?” Ahiru walked up to the barr. “I like them. They’re so beautiful.”

“The one I learned was from Romeo and Juliet.” Second position. “The reason I don’t like them is because they never had me dance in them. I was typecast as the villainous character. I performed the more scary characters when I was in ballets.” 

“Oh, how did you get the role of Romeo then?” 

“It was an accident.” Third, then forth. “I was to play Tybalt but the boy who played Romeo snapped his ankle and his understudy was so terrible it was laughable. I was the best dancer they had that season so they put me in.”

“Wow, I was never any good.” Ahiru followed him as he started the positions over again, keeping her feet flat on the floor. 

“After that my father died and we had to move out of the city.” Fakir said. 

“Your father died?” Ahiru stopped and put her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. My mom and dad died, too.” 

“It was a long time ago, I’m over it now.” Fakir turned to her. “Don’t be sorry for me.” 

Suddenly she was feeling awfully brave. “Can- can you show me the pas de deux?”

Fakir raised an eyebrow. “Won’t your boyfriend be mad at me for touching you?” 

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Ahiru went on doing the positions. 

“Why do you want me to show you?”

Ahiru bristled. “I - I don’t know.” She was starting to get huffy, hastily going to first then second.

“I thought you hated me?”

“No I- agh!” Ahiru cried out, she had gotten distracted and as she was going into the next position, she had gone en pointe without toe shoes. 

“Ahiru!” He caught her, bringing her up right. “You should be more careful.” 

She was right next to his chest and she could hear his heartbeat. 

He held her up then, shifting her into a starting position. “Stay on the balls of your feet, alright.”

Ahiru nodded. He was lightly humming the music in her ear and the moves were easy to transition into, as if she knew what the next step was. 

Suddenly, he stopped and stepped away. “Sorry. I promised myself I would stop touching you without asking.” 

“I asked if you would show me the dance.” Ahiru reasoned, finding herself cold without his hands on her. 

He shook his head. “You need me to move your couch back?” 

“Oh, um- yes, I do.” She followed him into her room as he started moving her things back into place. She walked him to her door. “Um-”

“Good-bye, Ahiru.” He turned and left down the hall.

Her eyes followed him before he marched down the staircase. Ahiru felt strange, wasn’t she supposed to hate him?

 

~

 

“Look, mon cherie!” Femio came up behind Autor and handed him a yearbook from the community college. “I told you I knew her face!” 

Autor took the book and looked at the girl in the photo; a photo taken of girls sitting down - and according to the caption - after a long practice for the upcoming performance, and under that were their names in the order they sat.

“Ahiru Armia.” Autor read aloud before nodding. “That’s definitely the girl I saw.” 

“I wonder if she still lives in the city?” Femio put a finger to his chin. “You’d think we’d have seen her before.”

Autor shook his head, “I’ve never seen her before and she probably went to that college for all four years.”  

“Should we check the phone books?”

“Perhaps we can google her?” Autor suggested instead. Femio nodded and they moved to one of the computers in the library. They put in her name and an article from four years ago was the only result, besides a few Japanese articles. “Huh.”

“What does it say?” Femio leaned down over him. 

“‘After starring in her first ballet, T. Armia collapses backstage as the final stages of her cancer take her.’” Autor turned back, raising his eyebrow at Femio. “‘While her performance was possibly the best this little theater has seen in many years, it pains us that she has passed and was not able to dance again, her one passion in life’ that was a quote from the producer, ‘Her daughter A. Armia, who has taken care of her for years until this point, is grieved but has made the decision to continue living out her mother’s dream of being a ballerina.’”

“Why would they write an article about her death?” 

Autor read on. “It says that she was one of the best dancers they had ever seen, even the strictest critic could not deny the beauty and passion in her performance. It was a tragedy that she wasn’t able to go on.” 

“So A. Armia is Ahiru then?”

“I can only assume.” 

“It’s a shame that this doesn’t tell us where she lives.” Femio sighed. “Phone books?” 

“Yeah fine.”  

“Excuse me, boys,” the college librarian had come up to them. “You didn’t scan in; do you have your school IDs?”

Femio jumped into action, pulling her hand away from her waist and bent over it, “Forgive us our transgressions, but,” he moved the back of his hand to grace his forehead, his other hand never letting go of the librarian’s. “We have been on the search for our long last friend - no, sister!” He scrunched away from her, grasping at his chest. “She lost her mother from cancer and moved away from home!” He took her hand again, letting his other caress the top of it. “We only wish to see her again! It was only after learning that she went here did we have hope to see her again! Mademoiselle, have pity on these poor souls just looking for one so beloved to them.” He started exclaiming in French.

The librarian didn’t look amused by his antics. “Get out of my library before I call security.”

“Of course, sorry.” Autor said as he dragged Femio off, still speaking in his native tongue.

They had started walking down one of the college paths, still in thought.

“Wait.” Femio stopped going. “Last year was when she attended, yes?”

Autor nodded.

“Well then wouldn’t the dance teacher know? Or at least one of the underclassmen from the year below?”

Autor smirked, “Of course, what an excellent idea, Liebling.”

Femio smiled under such praise before galavanting towards one of the -actual- students walking by and picked up that they weren’t far at all from the dance hall, but to beware the teacher there, Mr. Katz.

“I’m still not over it.” Autor shook his head as they stepped into the dance hall.

“I know, mon coeur, just leave it alone.”

“How do you get a name like that?”

They had approached one of the only lit up studios and saw a class of mostly girls dancing on barrs with their teacher. A plaque on the door reading that this was Mr. Katz upper class period. They had slipped in but did not go unnoticed.

“And relevé and keep going!” Before turning to the two boys. “May I help you?” 

“Yes, actually.” Autor stepped forward, taking the initiative. “We’re trying to find an old student of yours, would have graduated last June, she’s my cousin.”

“Many of my students graduated last June, a name, perhaps?” He had a slight lisp that Autor had just picked up.

“Ahiru Arima.” Femio supplied.

“Ah, Miss. Ahiru. One of my most passionate students, it was a shame she could never get past the basics.” Mr Katz studied them for a moment, as if to assess their character. “She’s moved away. I offered her a position here to teach the freshmen and beginners the basics - even offered her a position at my studio - but,” He shrugged, “She declined, I figured that this town reminded her too much of her mother to stay. I tried to keep in touch, but she has become rather busy. She never mentioned having any family besides her mother, however.”

Autor remembered the ages given from the article, if it was right, Ahiru’s mother would have had her at sixteen. “The family pushed her away in disgrace since it was a teen pregnancy, but they have pushed me away as well,” he said, taking Femio’s hand. “I didn’t think it right for her to be without family any longer.”

“Ah.” Mr Katz gave a curt nod. “She’s moved to a small city thirty minutes away from here called GoldKrone. I never had an address, just her number, but if she doesn’t know who you are it might be better to try to find her in person.” 

“Thank you, this reunion might have never happened without your help.” 

Mr. Katz seemed to agree. “That poor girl has always been on her own, even the other girls in class wouldn’t stay with her for too long, there was something odd about her. It’s a damn shame she was never able to be a ballerina like her mother.”

“We should be off, we don’t have a school ID and I wouldn’t want to get thrown off campus.” 

Mr Katz nodded and let them go, they had already walked a few paces, but under his breath he said: “All that passion, wasted.”


	10. Perdita et Evestigatus

Autor had spent many days travelling back and forth to Goldkrone, going to the local hangouts, the cafe’s, even the club they had - which Autor found strange that a small town like this would have one and that it was doing so well until he remembered it’s historical value - not that any of the dancers seemed to appreciate that - but it was very difficult to find this girl. 

Autor knew that in small towns like this, everyone knew everyone, but he didn’t want to raise suspicion - a strange man going around asking for a girl was very strange indeed. 

However, one morning he could have sworn he saw her. He followed her at a distance until she went into a building labeled Freya’s Floral Boutique, but couldn’t go in since it wasn’t open for business.  

Without warning, a strong hand landed on his shoulder and dragged him down an alley before throwing him against the wall.

“Who are you?” The mouth that came with the hand asked.

“No one of your concern,” The teeth, the perderoy stance, the narrowing eyes, the inhuman strength, Autor smirked, this man had given himself away. “Wolf.”

“I’ve never seen you before, are you one of the new ones? I don’t know if your master told you, but she’s. Off. Limits.” 

Autor rose a brow, he didn’t see any marks, but he could have sworn....

“I have no master.” Autor crossed his arms. “You think I’m a vampire, correct? Are my eyes red?”

“No.” The wolf leaned closer to him. “Then why were you following her?”

“Relax, I’m not trying to hurt your mate.” How strange, that made the wolf growl. “She’s my cousin.”

“Bullshit.”

“Her mother gave birth to her at sixteen, she was shunned by the family-”

“Yeah, but not by her Grandma?”  The wolf crossed his arms. Damn, perhaps going with the family life had been a mistake, if they were mates, Ahiru would have shared everything already. “You listen here. That girl has wolves, vampires, and bookmen watching her every move, I don’t think it’d be very wise to try and start shit.” 

Autor narrowed his eyes, perhaps now was the time to reveal the truth. “I don’t intend to hurt Ahiru, if that’s what you’re getting at, no. It is my belief that she is the reincarnation of the Lady Gardenia Schwan.” 

“Siegfried's wife?”

“Yes, I believe that she may possess Gardenia’s natural magic-”

“What are you saying? Gardenia was just his wife, she didn’t perform witchcraft.”

Autor smirked. “Didn’t she?”

The wolf snarled. “I’m sick of your lies. Stay away from Ahiru.”

“I’m not lying, wolf, Gardenia had powers this world has never seen before. She was sublime.” 

“Why would Siegfried lie?” 

Autor didn’t know how much damage he was doing, it looked as if the wolf was going to rip him apart. 

“What has he said?” Autor leaned against the wall casually as the wolf gave him more space, crossing his ankles and his arms. 

“He can’t speak more than a few words at a time.” The wolf stepped back some more, thinking; his world was crumbling around him. “Actually, most of the information I got was from Raven.”

“Raven?” Autor stood up, interest heightened. “He’s still alive?”

“No, I killed him seventeen years ago.”

“Oh, so I’m talking to the alpha then?” 

The wolf nodded. “It makes more sense that Raven would lie. But how do I know I can trust you?”

Autor smirked, he pulled a book out of his satchel. “I have proof.” He started flipping through the pages. “This is a copy of the records from Gardenia’s coven in the 1800s, modern witches have preserved it and made a few copies. Here, it’s her portrait as well.”

“They weren’t rich enough to afford portraits.” The wolf said, taking the book anyway. 

“You’re right, this was painted by one of the witches in the coven, he was a famous painter and agreed to paint the witches for… fun, I suppose.”

The wolf stared down at the page, his eyes flashing from the words to the portrait.

“It does look like her, doesn’t it?”

“How do you know she’s a rencanation?” 

Autor took back the book and put it in his bag before pulling out an even older one. “This is ancient- “

“But you carry it around with you in a bag?”

Autor scowled at the wolf - he wasn’t the only one who could look beastly - “I put a protection spell on it, I could drop it down the side of a cliff and it would be in perfect condition.” 

The wolf nodded as Autor opened to another page. “A witch - if her work in life is yet unfinished in this life - can put a spell on her magic so that it will carry on until that work is finished.” 

The wolf read through the page quickly. “Her magic? How do you mean?”

Autor pointed to a paragraph that explained just that. “Her magic is like a soul - while not being her soul - it is a force of life that resides within her, most of the time, the magic dies when the witch does, but Gardenia knew that she still had to defeat Drosselmeyer. So, she put a spell on her magic so that it would continue on until he was dead.”

“And Ahiru has her magic?” The wolf furrowed his eyebrows. “Just because you think she looks like Tutu?”

“You can’t deny the similarities.” Autor argued before taking back the book. 

“So you’re saying Ahiru is a witch?” The wolf was in deep thought. He had his arm akimbo with his hand touching his jaw. “Perhaps.”

“I won’t know for sure until I see her myself.” Autor reasoned, it seemed like this wolf - the alpha - could see the benefits of his mate being a witch. “I can perform a small spell just to test her magical aptitude. She wouldn’t even notice.”

The wolf though for a moment. “And, if she’s not?”

“I’ll leave, I’ll go back to Stadt von Eiche and leave you and your mate alone.” 

He was getting huffy again. “Fine. The shop opens at nine, go somewhere else and wait until then.” 

Autor nodded, he’d have to tell Femio to meet him at Ebine’s so they could discuss what events had just unfolded. He started walking down the alley and when he used a small spell to see what was behind him without turning his head he saw that the wolf was still there. Once he turned out of the alley he called Femio.

“C’mon, pick up.” He whispered to himself. 

Femio answered and mumbled something into the phone. 

“Are you up?” More mumbling. “Meet me at the restaurant Ebine’s, I have a lot to relay to you.”

“It’s so early, mon coeur.”

“I know, but I’ll buy you coffee and breakfast.” 

“Fancy coffee?” Femio ventured.

“Whatever latte or cappuccino you want.” Autor could see the restaurant fast approaching. “You should have just left with me this morning.”

“You left at five.” Femio groaned. “I’ll be thirty minutes.” 

Autor hung up as he stepped into the rather busy establishment, a woman with mint green hair greeted him.

“Good morning, would you like a table or a seat at the bar?” 

“I’m waiting for someone; he should be thirty minutes.” Autor shrugged off his jacket before taking a seat in their small waiting area. 

The woman nodded before going back into the morning rush. 

Autor checked his watch; three minutes to eight, he reasoned that it would be fine if he went back to the flower shop a little after nine, he wouldn’t want to be the creepy man who was waiting by the door for opening. His only concern was whether or not Femio would be on time. 

“May I see a menu?” He asked to a passing by waitress. 

“Sure!” She said, grabbing one from the hostess podium and handing it to him. She listed off some specials before turning back to her work. 

Thankfully, the little restaurant had some good coffee options for Femio to choose from. 

He heard the door open and saw Femio walk in after having looked over the menu several times, Autor stood to meet him, and almost like magic, the hostess was back to lead them to a freshly cleaned table. 

“Lillie will be your waitress, and my name is Edel if you have any concerns or needs.” She smiled before walking away and the girl from earlier came up to them.

“Oh, hello again!” She smiled, “I know you’ve had a lot of time to think about the menu, but has your friend?”

Femio was looking over the menu, food was easy to learn, it was some of the first German words he learned, but Autor knew it would take him time to decide. “Give us some time, but I’ll take a black coffee for now.” 

Lillie nodded before walking into the kitchen to get him his order. 

“Do you need help, lieb?” Autor asked, putting his hand on top of Femio’s.

He shook his head and when Lillie came back he ordered one of the lattes. “So what did you find?”

Autor smirked. “Oh you’re gonna love this, she’s mated to the alpha.” 

Femio’s eyes widened, he let out a dramatic gasp, his hand rising covering his lips. “The irony! Perhaps this time, it won’t end in tragedy.”

Autor nodded. “It’s strange though, whenever I mentioned it he got agitated, as if he was uncomfortable about it, or it wasn’t on purpose.”

Femio received his latte and took a large drink from it. “Merci!”

“De rien!” Lillie responded. “Do you still need more time for your breakfast order?”

“Femio?” Autor turned the question to him. 

He shook his head and they gave her their orders before turning back to their conversation. 

“That truly is bizarre.”

“And, he didn’t know that Gardenia was the witch, apparently their old alpha lied to them, telling them that Siegfried was the real witch.”   

“Why?”

“Perhaps misogynia?” Author took a drink of coffee. “He’s dead so I suppose we’ll never know.”

“What else?” 

Autor considered for a moment, a lot of information he told the wolf had been information they both already knew. “Apparently the werewolves, vampires, and bookmen watch her, but they didn’t know she was a witch, so I’m not sure why.” 

Their food was placed down in front of them, steaming hot. 

“Perhaps Drosselmeyer knows?” Femio suggested. “He would recognize the magic that trapped him, wouldn’t he?”

“He’s not a witch so I’m not sure he would be able to sense magic. And, I doubt Ahiru is the first reincarnation.” Autor started to cut into his breakfast, it had been a long time since he had a good hearty meal like this since he and Femio had started their search. “Perhaps I’ll meet with that wolf again and he can tell me.”

“I doubt he would know.”

Autor groaned. “Why is this so difficult?” 

Femio shrugged, his mouth full of food. 

Their waitress passed by them and slipped a note onto their table. Autor raise his eyebrow before taking it but the note was in French. He hadn’t it to Femio. He sent a translated version to Autor’s phone. 

 

_ Keep it down about the supernatural stuff, not everyone in town knows and some people prefer it that way!  _

 

“Should we write a response?” Femio asked, taking another bite. 

“I suppose we should.” Author pulled a pen from out of his jacket and handing it to Femio. “It should be in French.”

 

_ Forgive us, we’re trying to figure out what just is happening. What do you know?  _

 

“How are you enjoying your meal?” Lillie asked, pretending that she never passed them the note, and was careful when they passed her the new note before she slipped it into her apron as they told her the meal was great.  __

She stole away to the kitchen bringing out a handful of sodas and one hand had been kept free. There was a new note after she passed. 

 

_ I’m a Bookman and I’ve been living in this town my whole life, I know everything there is about the SN here. I don’t get a break until 10:30, can you meet me in the alley behind the restaurant?  _

 

“Well?” Autor asked. 

“It could be useful.” Femio nodded. 

“I found where Ahiu works, it opens at nine, perhaps we can come back here once we’ve finished making sure its here.” 

There was a new note on the table. 

 

_ Why do you keep talking about Ahiru?  _

 

Femio clicked his pen again. 

 

_ We’ll tell you once you tell us everything you know. _

 

She nodded at them from a far and Autor knew he was going to get a lot of information today. 

“Do you think we should have done some more research on, um, W’s and V’s before we came here?” Femio asked, mindful of the fact that Lillie had asked them to be quiet about the supernatural elements of their conversation. 

“At the time they weren’t that relevant, especially V’s.” Autor took a gulp of coffee, feeling refreshed and re-energized after such a good meal and cup of coffee. “Maybe W’s because she created them, but…” He shrugged. “Do you have any leftovers?” 

Femio shook his head and Autor asked for the bill. When they left it was fifteen after nine. 

“So she works in a flower shop?” Femio asked as Autor lead him down the alley to the shop. 

“Yup, probably just applied to the first open position she found in this town.” He shrugged his coat closer. “I don’t even think there’s a dance theater in this town.” 

“Perhaps she didn’t think she could perform ballet and just steered clear of it?” Femio offered before hooking his arm around Autor’s and resting his head on his shoulder. “It’s cold, mon coeur.” 

“We’re almost there.” 

“Who’s this?”

Femio let out a shriek as the wolf stepped out from the shadows.

Autor rolled his eyes, he’d thought he gained some trust from the wolf. “Femio. My partner.”

“He’s not going in the shop.” The wolf shook his head. “He can stay out here with me.” 

“Fine.” Autor disentangled himself from Femio before walking out of the alley. “I want him back!” He shouted at the mouth of the alley before walking towards the shop. 

“Ahiru, please! You opened the shop for me this morning, go take a quick break, it’s the least I can do for you.”

“Are you sure, Miss Freya? I’m fine!” The girl yawned.

“Go take a quick nap, I’ll wake you up when the store is flooded with customers, besides, I did run this shop for many years by myself.”

“Yeah but then you got popular and you couldn’t.” 

“Go sleep.”

Autor had walked along the many rows of flowers, he watched as the girl - Ahiru - walked into the Employees Only room to, presumably, take a nap. 

Damn, how long would that take? He needed to be rather close to her to perform the spell.

“Good morning, sir, I’m Freya, is there anything I can help you with?”

Autor had to think fast, he could either admit that he was looking for the girl she just sent away or just looking for flowers, but he didn’t want to cause suspicion by saying he knew Ahiru especially since it would be obvious that she didn’t know him when she came out. 

“Uh- I’m just looking for now. I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for.”

Freya smiled. “Take your time.” Before leaving him to browse. 

The rows and rows of flowers were categorized by species, size, then color, making it rather easy to find any plant you could want. Autor didn’t think a flower shop would have so many options outside of roses, especially since the building seemed too small to house so many, perhaps Freya was a witch? 

“Sir?” Freya had come back. “I’m going to wake up my associate, would you mind waiting here until I come back?” 

“Of course.” Autor smiled, finally, he prepared himself to perform the spell but when she stepped out, he didn’t even need to use the spell. 

Autor wondered how he hadn’t felt it before when he first encountered her - he even bumped into her for Christ’s sake! Magic was bursting out of her, her presence almost burning him she was so powerful. His eyes widened, how had no one felt this before? There was so much raw, untamed energy he didn’t even want to approach her, how was he supposed to be her teacher if she was this much stronger than him? 

Flowers. 

Right.

He should probably buy something for taking up so much time. 

Autor walked up to the counter where Ahiru was stretching on the little cashier stool. 

“Excuse me, ma’am?” 

“Yes? Would you like to make a purchase?” God, she was making him feel numb. 

“Some irises and a fern plant, please.” Ahiru punched it into the cash register and he handed her the correct amount. She hopped down grabbed a pair of shears and went to the correct aisle to retrieve his plants. “Would you like a vase for the irises?” Ahiru heaved a potted fern onto the counter, it was a tiny little thing, just a sprout. 

“No, just wrap them up.” 

Ahiru nodded before handing him his purchase. “Here you go, thank you for choosing Freya’s Flower Boutique!” 

He turned and left, taking a breath of fresh air before making his way back down the alley where he saw Femio trying to convince the wolf to wait a little longer. 

“See, look he’s right there!” Femio slumped his shoulders, obviously tired from trying to hold back a werewolf. 

“Well?” The wolf said as he walked up to Autor, acting very much like the animal he was. 

“I have never felt so much raw magic in my life.” He stated simply before hanging the Irises to Femio.   

The wolf sighed before crossing his arms. “So are you going to tell her?” 

“Yes, I would like to teach her magic.”

The wolf frowned, his face scrunching up. He didn’t like the idea of Autor being anywhere near Ahiru, that much was obvious, but the wolf knew that having a powerful witch would be useful in the battle. And, that’s what Autor said to him.

“She’s not going to be a part of any battle, not if I have a say in it.” He clenched his hand, and, almost to himself, he said, “No matter what I said before”

This wolf may have been perturbed about Ahiru being his mate, but it was clear that he was protective of her. 

“You get antsy when I mention the fact that she’s your mate.” Autor scrutinized. “I think it was either an accident or you did it out of some form of protection, am I correct?” 

He growled. 

“You were going to use her at some point, yes?” 

“That’s enough.”

“To kill Drosselmeyer perhaps?” Autor knew he was right. “She can kill him, but only if she’s able to harness her powers. Her true potential, are you going to stop her from reaching that?” 

“I don’t control Ahiru. You ask her yourself whether or not she wants to be taught.” He stalked away. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you.” 

Femio put a hand on Autor’s arm. “It’s almost ten thirty, we should get back if we want to meet Lillie.” 

 

~

 

Lillie looked at the clock and shouted at Malen that she was starting her break. She pulled out her phone and called Pique. 

“Lillie I’m on duty, I could get in trouble for answering.”   
“I know.” Lillie whispered into the phone. “Two strange men - like, they were really weird, Pike! - came into Ebine’s and were talking about werewolves and vamps, and, get this, Ahiru.”

“Huh.” Pique was silent on her end for a moment. “That is strange.”

“I know, I’m going to talk to them, I think they might have some useful information for us too.”

“I agree, but be careful don’t tell them everything at first.”

Lillie hummed in agreement before hanging up and going out to the alley. She saw them approaching but motioned for them to stop, she didn’t want anyone from the restaurant over hearing, so she walked over to them.

“What do you know?” She asked.

They looked at each other. “You tell us first.” 

“Fine. What do you want to know?”

“The wolf mentioned that the wolves, vampires, and bookmen were all watching Ahiru, what did he mean?” The French one asked. 

“Which wolf?”

“The alpha.” The one with glasses supplied. 

“Oh, Fakir. Well, from what Ahiru’s told me, they think that she can kill Drosselmeyer and Siegfried, so the Vamps and wolves have been trying to convince her to do it.”

The one with glasses smirked. “So that’s why he marked her.”

“Now you give me something.” The one with glasses nodded. “Why do you care about Ahiru?”

“She’s a witch.”

“I’m sorry, she’s a what?” Sweet little Ahiru? Lillie could only picture hooked nosed, old women, with warts flying over the moon.

“A witch.” 

“But how?”

They explained to her what their theory on who Ahiru was, and how Gradenia was the witch that caused the transformation of Siegfried and the other werewolves. “She’s extremely powerful, I’m surprised she’s lived this long without realizing her powers. Now, this might sound weird, but where does she live?”

Lillie crossed her arms. “Why should I tell you?”

“I want to offer her the opportunity to learn how to control her powers. I don’t want to scare her so I want to send a letter so if she rejects she’ll have never seen my face.” He let out a sigh. “That wolf - Fakir - would shred me to pieces if I threatened her or her livelihood, I promise I would never use that information for evil.”

“Fine.”

Their conversation went on for some time but Lillie knew she would get fired if she wasn’t back in time so she had to turn them away and mulled over the new information in her mind. 

 

~

 

Rue looked at Mytho with some mist in her eyes, she wasn’t giving him her attention as she was trying to ignore the voice in her head - her father. 

He was trying to convince her to do the unthinkable. 

Looking at Mytho, she remembered when he was a teenager, when he first got out of the wolf den and she was supposed to kill him to make Fakir angry, but she couldn’t. 

He called her beautiful and kind, words she’d never pin to herself, and soon every waking moment became consumed with trying to see him. Once he turned eighteen she convinced him to come live with her at Wasser Castle, and he had agreed. She did her best to keep her secret but Drosselmeyer soon found out anyway, he didn’t demand that she kill Mytho and she was glad, instead he tried to convince her to turn Mytho. Sure, she had considered it, but she would at least wait until they were the same age. 

He had told her that Mytho was pure of heart, that turning him would make them more powerful than any wolf, but he also told her that there was a curse on the vampires and werewolves. Each species was at the limit of how many they could turn, so they could only turn one other human and then not again until a century had passed.

He gave her time and soon Fakir figured out the same information, that they could only turn one more for the team before biting would no longer have any effect on a mortal except bleeding and maybe rabies. 

It had been in one of their fights that they found Ahiru, that poor girl, if only she hadn’t put her nose where it didn’t belong.

Not that Rue hated Ahiru, she rather enjoyed her friendship, hearing that she had a pure heart as well wasn’t too hard to believe but when Drosselmeyer didn’t try to get Rue to change Ahiru, she was confused. 

Wouldn’t she be just a powerful as Mytho? 

How could she have the power to kill Drosselmeyer but Mytho didn’t?

If they both had pure hearts, surely their potential - where as a vampire or a killing machine - would be the same, wouldn’t it? 

Drosselmeyer told her his plans and hardly ever the truth. Rue had no doubt that Mytho and Ahiru had pure hearts, but perhaps there was another reason that Ahiru could kill and destroy Drosselmeyer and Siegfried while Mytho couldn’t. 

Perhaps it wouldn’t be so terrible if Ahiru killed Drosselmeyer, then she’d at least be free. 

_ Kraehe _

Oh, and she nearly forgot about her father. 

“Mytho, will you make me some tea?” Rue asked. “I haven’t had any in awhile and I’m rather thirsty.” He agreed before leaving, shutting the door behind him. “What, father?”

_ Turn Mytho _

“Father, he’ll say no.”

_ Don’t let him die. _

“He won’t.”

_ How will you ensure that? _

“Well- well I’ll-”

_ Turn him _

“Father, it wouldn’t be right.” 

_ When have you ever done what is right? You’ve killed before, I don’t think you asked those people if they wanted death then. _

“That’s cruel, I was under the control of Drosselmeyer, I couldn’t do anything.” She had started pacing before she grabbed a cigarette and lit it. 

_ Those don’t work, you don’t even breathe, what do you do it for? _

“None of your business.” 

_ Mien Kraehe, have you forgotten how much your father loves you?  _

She blew out a cloud of smoke. “No.” 

_ I’m only thinking of what is best for you, you’ve been through so much sadness, mien Kraehe, I just want you to be happy. _

“How can I? Mytho will hate me.” She used her finger to tap off the growing ash.

_ He’ll forgive you, his love for you his strong and I would be proud to call him my son.  _

“He wouldn’t even think of marrying me if I forced his hand.” 

_ What would you do if you had a chance to turn me? Your mother?  _

“I would make sure it was what you both wanted.”

_ Rather than seeing us die again?  _

“If he doesn’t want to become a demon like me I don’t see why I should force him.”

_ You’re not a demon, you’re mien klein Kraehe. _

“If I changed him without his consent, I would be.” She took a drag. “In addition to everything else I’ve done.” 

Mytho came back in with the tea and she could feel her father’s presence leaving, like smoke lifting away from the fire. 

He scrunched his nose. “Put that out, please.” 

“Oh, sorry, sube.” Rue pat it onto her dresser before smiling and taking one of the cups of tea he had in his hand. She and Mytho sat on the bed. “So, you’ve been teaching Ahiru ballet?”

Mytho smiled, “I didn’t think you’d want to talk about her.”

“From what you’ve described it seems as if she still views you as a friend. I don’t mind as much anymore.” She took a sip. Mytho always made her tea perfectly. 

“She’s very good, she just doubts herself and her abilities.” Mytho stopped to blow on his tea before taking a drink. “It’ll take more time for her to get the steps than others, but she’ll be able to do it.” 

“Maybe I could help her, too.” Rue smiled, sticking out her foot and jabbing him with her toe. “I had a lot of fun teaching you.”

“That’s because it was a good excuse for you to touch me.” He joked lightly.

“Well, you’re not wrong.” 

Mytho laughed and shook his head. “I think if anything, she’s falling for Fakir.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“Well, Fakir likes to come and check up on her, lots of times he’ll stand against the wall and watch, he’ll instruct her on what she’s doing right or wrong, so we’ve all been hanging out.” Mytho sipped absentmindedly at his tea. “She enjoys my company, but most of her attention is on Fakir.” 

Rue raised her eyebrows. “That’s strange considering their rocky start.” 

“The wolves are rough, remember my bruises?” 

“Oh, you’re right.” She looked Mytho up and down and could almost see the black and blue bruises forming on his pale skin again. “I hated those.”

He shrugged. “The wolves just liked to rough house. It was actually a lot of fun. I’d tell you their weak spot if you weren’t mortal enemies.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. 

She laughed. “Careful, I’ll have to torture it out of you.”

_ Kraehe _

She ignored him. 

_ Turn him. _

No, she thought. 

_ It’s the only way. _

“Rue, have you finished?” Mytho held out his hand and Rue put her empty tea cup in his palm.

_ Kraehe, don’t you love him? _

“Thank you, lieb.”

_ Don’t you want him to live? _

Mytho put the cups on the nightstand before picking up his book. Rue scooted over to him as he got settled against the headboard of their bed, she leaned on his chest with his arm around her. She could feel the plush of his heart. It made her nervous. 

_ Change him. _

_ Save him. _

_ Kraehe. _


	11. Muto

Ahiru ran a finger around the rim of her coffee mug, a small mouthful was left but it was too cold to have been enjoyable, so it was left to wallow in the bottom of her cup.

To say it was surprising that he was late was actually a huge understatement. 

Ahiru had been waiting for nearly an hour with Mytho nowhere in sight. They were supposed to meet for coffee, but maybe she had gone to the wrong coffee house? Goldkrone did have two after all, and they weren’t that different in name, so there was the possibility that Mytho was waiting for her across town just like her. 

Yes.

That had to be it. 

Ahiru picked up her bag and pulled her jacket over her shoulders. 

They had agreed to meet here after their practice last night - with his free schedule and her more than willing to go through with the efforts -  they had been meeting up every night for the past fortnight. It was nice and she woke up blissfully sore in the morning, but taking a break to get coffee instead was nice as well. 

But he had been late. 

Ahiru shook her head and smiled lightly to herself. It wasn’t like Mytho to ditch her or show up late; he would least have the decency to call her so he must have been as confused as she had been and sitting in the coffee shop on third. 

Hopefully. 

Well, maybe he wasn’t? Ahiru was patient and had the courtesy to wait for an hour, but would Mytho have gotten mad after fifteen - thirty - minutes of waiting and stormed out? No, right? 

Ahiru rubbed her arms, so far the weather had been merciful and hadn’t dipped below fifteen degrees, but today felt freezing. 

Mytho was her friend - if not more, now - and he was so princely, he would have definitely chosen to wait for her. Or take some time to enjoy his drink - maybe he ordered a pastry as well - he wouldn’t rush off in a fit of anger.

She could only hope. 

However, to her horror, as she came up to the other coffee shop, it was closed for renovation. Even if he had meant to come to this one he would see it closed and would have gone to the other coffee shop. 

Right? 

This was a mess. 

Ahiru tried to figure out any place he would go, creating a list of places in her head, starting with Ebine’s. Then the Red Rat. Maybe the bookstore? Freya’s Floral Boutique was closed so he wouldn’t go there, well maybe to pick her up? But he wasn’t there. She thought of Wasser Castle, where Rue was, but if they had broken up, then that’s the last place he would go unless to reopen a slowly healing wound. 

Maybe he went to see Fakir? 

With Mytho and Ahiru hanging out more and Fakir constantly checking up on her - not that it was unwanted - it seemed as if their friendship had reblossomed in the last few weeks. 

Fortunately, Ahiru’s last checkpoint was only a few blocks away from the Scent.  

It was in full swing when Ahiru walked up, fortunately a wolf she knew was standing at the door.

“Lysander, thank god! I need to see Fakir.” 

There was a slight groan from the line of people when it was made obvious he was going to let her in. “Dylan, cover for me.” Lysander grabbed the scruff of some unsuspecting, scrawny looking kid, but one who was obviously a wolf. 

Lysander let Ahiru in and took her past the VIP lounge into the basement were Fakir was reading a book. He looked up when he heard the door open and quirked an eyebrow at Ahiru. Lysander closed the door after her.

“I wasn’t expecting you.” Fakir put down his book and stood to greet her, but it was obvious that he wasn’t entertaining Mytho if he was heavily invested in a book. 

“You weren’t supposed to.” Ahiru was disappointed, as close as she was to Mytho now, she still didn’t have a very good idea of where his usual haunts were. “I was supposed to meet Mytho after work for coffee, but an hour went by and I was still waiting.” 

“So you came here?”

“No, well,” Ahiru let out a sigh before stealing his chair and putting down her purse, she had spent the last few hours walking throughout town. “I went all over the place trying to find him but I never did.”

“So this was the last place on your list?”

She shrugged, “He’s not really a clubber, is he? I just thought he’d have wanted to hang out with you.”

Fakir shook his head. “He’s not the type to stand someone up.”

“The first time we went out he was late.”

“But by an hour?”

Ahiru sighed and cupped her chin in her hands. “No.” 

Fakir leaned against the desk and crossed his arms. “Why don’t I call him?” Fakir picked up a landline and dialed a well practiced number.

“You don’t have a cellphone?” Ahiru joked lightly.

“Shut up, I’m old. And why didn’t you call him?” 

“I was out of minutes.”

Fakir looked at her in bewilderment. “You still have minutes? Damn, he didn’t pick up.”

“Fakir, what if something happened to him?” She started to feel her shoulders stoop.

“It’s possible, but I doubt it.” He re-dialed, “He has Rue and me as family.”

Ahiru nodded, letting her eyes close. The coffee seemed to have let her run all over town without a problem, but now the adrenaline and caffeine ran out and she was down and out for the count. “But he and Rue are broken up, aren’t they?”

“If they actually are broken up, I’ll kill her for all the trouble she put me through.” He cursed and hung up the phone again; turning back to Ahiru, he saw that she was half asleep.

“What trouble?” Ahiru finally had the sense to ask.   
“You’re tired, do you want me to take you home.” 

Ahiru shook her head, “That’s so far.” She drew out her words.

“Do you want to sleep here?”

She nodded. Fakir let out a sigh as he scooped her up and carried her through the club and up into his room. “Do you think that maybe they did break up and Rue wants revenge?”

Fakir thought about it before shaking his head. “No, she’s not the type. She’d sooner accuse me than hurt Mytho.”

“Oh,” Ahiru yawned. “Would she accuse me of stealing him?”

“Unfortunately she likes you, so no, she wouldn’t.” Fakir sat her down on his bed and helped her remove her shoes and jacket. She crawled up to the pillow and rested her head on it. 

“Look, Fakir, it’s raining.” Ahiru pointed lazily at the window where a sprinkling of rain was washing the window pane. 

He nodded. “Do you need anything else?”

“Nope. Thank you, Fakir.” 

 

~

 

Fakir hadn’t been able to sleep. It was concerning that Mytho was just suddenly gone, or that he would ditch Ahiru. It just simply wasn’t a part of his character. He knew from the start that it was some scheme Drosselmeyer was pulling, but she always seemed so happy to see him or be with him.

Fakir couldn’t take that from her.

He had to think of what could have happened, or why Mytho hadn’t shown up. It just didn’t make any sense. Over and over questions formed in his head until the sun rose and the black sky turned grey; the rain hadn’t stopped pouring. 

He decided he would join his pack for breakfast after he heard them clambering up to the kitchen. Only seven had close and clean up duty while the others went to sleep. He joined those seven - something he tended not to do - and they definitely enjoyed his company.

“Fakir!” One cried. “I haven’t seen you in ages, Papi, where’ve you been.”

“Trying to figure something out.” He muttered, grabbing for something to eat.

“He was with his girlfriend!” One other supplied, causing many of them to ‘ooh’ loudly.

“Shut up.” He shook his head.

“So why’d you join us this morning?” 

“Yeah, how come?” Two small girls asked while their tall, rather buff, friend stuck between them nodded in agreement. 

“I heard you, that’s all.” He took a bite of whatever he picked up. “Why the obsession over me anyway?”

“Well, between reading, and going to ‘check’ on the redhead, you haven’t been around much, Papi.” The first one said around a spoonful of cereal. “We miss you.”

They all clambered in agreement. 

“You’re all so annoying.”

“And that’s why we love you!” The other six laughed, but Fakir didn’t find it spiteful. 

“Hey, have any of you seen Mytho?”

“The bloodsucker’s boytoy?” 

“Around the club?” The two girls shot off. “Haven’t seen him.” They spoke together while their friend nodded. 

“Why?”

“Ahiru was looking for him, he stood her up but-”

“Mytho? No, he wouldn’t dare!”

“But now she can’t find him anywhere.” Fakir said and then finished whatever he had chosen to eat. 

Three girls started whispering together before starting to cry. “What if he’s died?” 

“And why would he be dead?” Fakir wondered how these people were chosen for the pack. 

“I don’t know!” They wailed. “I need to go dig!” 

“Aye yai yai.”

“I’m going back to my room.”

“You’re little girlfriend is there right?”

Fakir chose not to answer but got mock kissing noises instead of silence. 

Ahiru was sitting up and looking out the window when he returned. He wondered, about what that strange blue haired, rather annoying, man had said about her, was she really so powerful? “Good morning.” 

She didn’t respond. 

“Ahiru? Are you alright?” Fakir went up to her, standing across from her. 

She shook her head. “I had a bad dream. That’s all.”

“About Mytho?”

A nod.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He would do the same thing with Karon when he was scared - and with Mytho when he was growing up, as well. 

“No.”

“Alright.”

“It was weird, Rue had kidnapped Mytho and she bit him, and then he was a vampire, and you two fought each other, and- “She slumped her shoulders. “It was scary. I thought he was going to kill you.”

Fakir shrugged. “Would that be such a bad thing?”

Ahiru’s head shot up and she wacked his arm. “Yes, of course it would be!” She brought her knees up to her chin. “I’m just worried that’s all.”

“I should get you home.” 

“Okay.” 

Ahiru hopped off his bed and began tidying her things, slipping on her shoes, and adjusting herself to get moving. 

“Can I get some water before we go?”

Fakir smiled lightly. “Yes, c’mon.”

He took her to the kitchen and she downed several glasses of water and waved to the wolves who were still sitting at the table. When her back was to them, they sent mocking kisses in Fakir’s direction. 

“Oh, it’s still raining.” Ahiru said when they stepped outside, putting her hand out to catch the water droplets.

“I know, I brought my umbrella.” Fakir opened up a simple black umbrella and they started walking.

“Did you get any sleep last night, Fakir?” 

“No, but it’s fine, I don’t need that much anyway.”

Ahiru hooked her arm onto his, the one holding the umbrella. He knew why she was doing it - to be under the umbrella better - but it still made him blush. 

“Did you think about Mytho then?”

“Yes.”

“Well?”

Fakir shook his head before stuffing a hand into his pockets. “I don’t know anything about the matter except that he wasn’t there and he wasn’t at any of the places you checked.”

“Does he have a house to go to?” Ahiru had thought about going to his place, but she then remembered he never gave her an address.

“No, when he was young he stayed with me, and when he started going out with Rue he went to Wasser Castle.” He decided to let her keep her fantasy. “Since he broke up with Rue, I’d imagine he’d stay at one of the bookmen’s places. He’s friends with a lot of them.”

“Pique and Lillie?”

“The girls with pink hair and pigtails?” Fakir thought about it, even if he wasn’t there, there was a possibility they could help. “Probably; he would have to stay with someone who doesn’t really respect Edel, and they don’t really respect her at all.”

“Because of his dad?” Ahiru asked using what tentative knowledge she had. 

“Right.”

“Pique had told me she would prefer if she could live in Stadt von Eiche where her job is, but Edel won’t let her.” Ahiru nodded. “I can see why they would let Mytho join them.”

They had walked a few paces in silence, content on their next step of action, when Fakir got the urge to speak to her. 

Maybe it was the wrong time.

Maybe it was the wrong place, but…

“Ahiru?”

“Hmm?”

He cleared his throat. “When we first met-”

“Fakir it’s okay.” Ahiru smiled at him. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me, it’s just how you’re used to treating those under you.”

“Ahiru, no- that doesn’t-”

“And I’ve seen you with Karon, you’re very parental around him, you know?”

Fakir stopped and yanked her around so that she faced him, but the action led to her crashing into his chest. She didn’t step away. 

“I never should have touched you. I never should have- have- manhandled you like that!” His voice softer, and his eyes, which had been locked with hers, were cast down “It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair, and I’m sorry.” He stepped away from her ever so slightly; she seemed to shiver at the lose of the contact.

“I know you’re sorry.” Her eyebrows furrowed, “You’re a good person, Fakir, you just let your anger and strength get the better of you.” Then, her face lit up so brightly he felt blinded. “But thank you, for apologizing!” 

She was a complete mystery. 

A weight seemed to float off his chest as they continued walking, her arm went back around his and she started to chatter, however it was chatter about Mytho. 

“- I just can’t think of where he might be, and my dream keeps pestering at me, like it’s a premonition of some kind! Maybe getting in the crossfire of two supernatural species isn’t such a bad thing if it comes with side effects-”

He nodded along, only half paying attention to her when he got a whiff of a familiar smell. “Hang on.” He stopped them, taking a stronger sniff of the air. “I think one of your friends is coming.” 

“Hm?” Ahiru turned and she recognized the girl with dyed pink hair - was it magenta now? It looked magenta - as she came racing down the street, completely soaked. 

“Ahiru!” She called and Ahiru slipped out from under the umbrella and ran to meet her. Fakir was able to keep up, but that didn’t keep Ahiru from getting drenched in the downpour. 

When they met Pique half way, the two girls were gasping for breath. Shakily, Pique held out a blood stained piece of paper. Ahiru’s eyes went wide.

“Sorry about the blood.” Pique took in a huge gulp of air. “It was from Lillie, she got a nose bleed and some got on it.” 

Ahiru unfolded the paper and read it before grasping and clamping a hand onto her mouth. She passed it to Fakir. 

_ I have taken my dearest prince so that we may be together forever. _

_ You can try to find us, but by the time you do, you may be too late! _

_ Mytho will be mine for forever and eternity by the full moon.  _

“Damn, you were right, she is trying to turn him.” 

“Where did you find it?” Ahiru asked Pique.

“It was slipped under the restaurant door. Lillie was the hostess at the time and picked it up before anyone saw and showed it to me. We tried to call you but it was like your phone was dead.”

“I was out of minutes.”

“Minutes? You still have minutes?”

“He still has a landline!” Ahiru huffed before turning to Fakir. “What shoulgd we do?” 

Fakir took the letter and gave it a once over with his nose. “She was stupid and wrote it herself. That’s not normally like her.”

“You typically get letters from Rue?” Ahiru asked.

“Sort of.” Fakir looked it over again. “Rue loves to send invitations and letters to her evil plots, normally it’s because she wants me to stop her before she murders a bunch of people, but she would always make someone else write it so I wouldn’t pick up her scent, and to also throw Drosselmeyer off.” 

“So why didn’t she do that?”

“Somethings wrong.” Fakir decided. “She would never force Mytho’s hand and I know for a fact that Mytho never wanted to change. So she must be forcing him to do this.” He shook his head. “This isn’t like her.”

“Yes, so what do we do?”

Fakir held up the paper and smiled. “Her scent is all over this, it’s easily trackable. I just have to find the freshest trail and follow that.” 

Ahiru smiled brightly and cheered. “So how do we do that?”

“Rue is all over this town, the easiest way would be to run over and find the newest one.”

“Oh, so am I burden?” 

She obviously wanted to help find him. “I have to run, the full moon is tonight and there’s a lot of different smells to sort through. You could hop onto my back if you’d like.”

“You’re gonna give me a piggyback ride?”

“Well not it you say it like that!” Fakir crossed his arms, but nonetheless he squatted in front of her. 

“Thank you, Pique.” Ahiru said closing the umbrella before wrapping her legs around Fakir’s waist and her arms around his neck and soon they were off. “Check the coffee shop!” She yelled over the wind. “Rue could have snatched him there!” 

Fakir nodded but found nothing, only a very old trail that may or may not have been a bat. He changed directions and went to Wasser Castle, but stopped. “Ahiru, where were they in your dream?” 

“What? Fakir, I’m getting soaked, an- and it was just a dream!”

_ She’s a witch _ , Fakir thought, wondering if that included premonitions in the form of dreams. “I’m just checking all the bases.”

She let out a huff and shook her head. “I don’t know! It was-” She closed her eyes. “Like a forest, they were on a lake, or by a lake?”

Fakir nodded, starting to run towards the woods that edged Wasser Castle. 

“I found it!” Fakir said, stopping for a second, the umbrella poking him in his side; he adjusted it. “It’s only a few hours old.” 

“Where does it lead?”

“The forest.” He looked over his shoulder at Ahiru but her eyes were trained on the large forest that surrounded their town, they looked unbelieving. He hitched her up and held her legs closer to his body before taking off again. 

 

~

 

Rue pet his head while singing lightly to him to keep him in his trance. 

_ Kraehe, we’re running out of time, do it now while we have him where we want him. _

“Father, this isn’t right.” 

_ Mien Kraehe, do you doubt your father’s wisdom?  _

“No, I- “

_ Then do as I say! _

“No!”

_ No? _

“Mytho would never want this.” She looked down at him in his sleep like state, his eyes glazed over but still open. 

_ Mytho doesn’t know what he wants, you didn’t want to get turned, did you? _

“No, but -”

_ Would you have been able to fall in love with him if you hadn’t? _

“No, father, I just think-”

_ What you think doesn’t matter. Mytho will be turned and will live with you forever.  _

“Father- “

_ If you could have turned mother, wouldn’t you have? Or me? _

“Of course.”

_ Then turn him.  _

“He’ll hate me.” 

_ He’ll realize that you were right, he’ll come around. _

Rue felt her eyes begin to water, was this right? She knew that as abrasive as Fakir was, he would never do such a thing to Mytho. 

“Father-”

_ What, my daughter? _

“I love him, but I don’t want to lose him.”

_ Then turn him. _

“But he’ll hate me.”

_ For forever? _

“Well, at least for a while. And perhaps during that time, he’ll get over me. Perhaps he will fall in love with Ahiru. She’s human.”

_ She will die one day, just like everyone else you ever cared about, don’t you want the heartbreak to stop? _

“He would be under Drosselmeyer’s control then and I would never put that upon him.” 

Her father chuckled darkly. 

“Father?”

_ Mien Kraehe, given the chance to live forever with your mother or watch her die again, I would turn her.  _

Rue shook her head.

_ No? What if I said I would protect him from Drosselmeyer’s control, hm? _

“You can do that?” 

_ I can use my spirit as a shield, per say, and guard him from Drosselmeyer’s reins. _

“Father, I just don’t know.”

_ Kraehe _ . 

He had snapped, the last time his voice sounded like that he had brought a broom handle against her.

“Yes?”

_ You will change him.  _

She felt a change in her heart, as if it was beating again. Could her father do that? Did he have that power? To make her feel alive? 

She closed her eyes. 

She could feel the beating of her heart. 

“Yes. I will change him.” She sat down next to him, forced his mouth open and cut open her wrist so that several droplets of blood would roll down his throat. She closed her eyes again as she prepared to bite him herself, completing the transformation, but- 

_ We have company.  _

Rue opened her eyes and looked out across the lake to the shore where two familiar foes stood. She rose from her place - a rock out in the middle of the lake - and greeted them. “About time you got here, I was worried.” 

“Give us back Mytho!” Ahiru shouted. 

Rue put a finger to her chin. “No.” Her heart beat faster. “I’m going to change him, first.” Her slit wrist was already healed

“Rue, what’s wrong with you?” Fakir called out, “You would never force him against his will!”

“No, but circumstances change!” Rue crossed her arms and stepped out onto the water, seemingly floating on the top. 

“Such as?”

“I love him and I refuse to let him die!” 

“Rue?” Ahiru called out, taking her chances and stepping onto the water. “Please? I know you love Mytho with all your heart, but you can’t force him to be something he’s not! You have to let him choose to do it!”

Rue felt her lip quiver, “He refuses! I can’t watch him die!”

“Rue-” Ahiru took another step out onto the seemingly frozen water; Fakir grabbed at her arm but couldn’t stop her. “I know what it’s like to watch someone die, it’s painful, but my mother chose death. She was sick of the chemo and knew that it wouldn’t help her. She died in peace. It hurt to watch, but I had to respect her decision!” 

“You don’t understand.” Rue shook her head. “At least you get to die and see her again! I’m immortal, I can never die! I can’t live the rest of my life knowing I could have saved him but didn’t! I can’t live with the knowledge that my life won’t even be half way over when he’s on his deathbed!”

“Rue,” Fakir called out, “We all have had our loses, but this is extremely low, even for you.”

“Your life didn’t start in tragedy!” Rue seemed deranged, but it was evident that she didn’t care anymore. “Try to take him from me! You can’t!”

“Wanna bet?” Fakir came rushing out over the water but his feet fell into the water, he couldn’t swim over to her in time.

Ahiru looked down at her feet, where she was still standing on the water and took a few steps forward. “Rue-”

“No!”

Ahiru made her way across the lake before hoisting herself up onto the small island. “I think you should let Mytho decide what he wants to do with his life.”

Tears fell down her cheeks, “But he’ll die.”

“Then that’s his choice.” Ahiru went forward and wrapped her arms around Rue. Her skin felt tingly and she had no idea why, but she tightened her hug and Rue seemed to return it. 

“The voice won’t stop talking.” Rue whispered in her ear.

“What voice? Rue, who’s talking to you?” Ahiru didn’t pull away.

“My father.”

“But he’s dead, how would he-?” 

“Ahiru, let go and run.” Rue said through clenched teeth.

“Rue, what? No, I-”

“Ahiru, look out!” Fakir called from shore.

“Run!” Rue pushed herself away and Ahiru fell into the water.

Rue was gone and Mytho took her place, taking her hand and pulling her out of the water.

“Rue.” Ahiru looked around her but Rue couldn’t be found. 

“Ahiru, are you alight?” Mytho asked. 

“I’m fine, where’d she go?” Ahiru whipped her head around trying to find her. 

“She transported herself away, Ahiru, she was going to attack you.” 

“What?” Ahiru looked up at him, she shook her head in disbelief. 

Mytho started to look around. “How did I get here?”

“Rue kidnapped you, Mytho, we were really scared.” 

Mytho nodded. “I’m sorry to have worried you.” Mytho looked out across the water. “How do you suggest we get out of the lake?”

Ahiru shrugged, “I was able to just walk across it, before.” She lowered her hands to touch the water but her fingers dipped in. 

“How strange.” 

“Fakir!” Ahiru yelled, “How do we get off!” 

“How should I know!” 

Ahiru groaned. She stood and started looking for a way off, circling the island and looking towards shore. “I think there’s a boat on the other side!” Fakir started running along the perimeter of the lake.

Mytho put a hand to his head, he licked his lips and swallowed, suddenly feeling ill. “Ahiru, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be of much assistance.” 

“What, why?” Ahiru turned just in time to see him topple over. “Mytho!”


	12. Cordis Pulsus

His heart. a

He…

He couldn’t feel it. 

Had he died? 

He didn’t feel the need to breath. 

But, he moved, he moved his eyes, opening them to see the world around him, but it hurt so badly that he snapped them shut.

He could hear.

He heard, Ahiru? And, Fakir, for sure. What were they saying?

“-that he’s not up yet?” 

“No I don’t think it’s strange that he’s not up yet. He hit his head rather hard and we still have no idea what Rue did to him before we got there.” Fakir. He’d recognize that voice anywhere.

“I know.” That was Ahiru. “But it’s been a week and I’m worried.” She paused. “Rue hasn’t shown up either.” 

“Probably scared of what I’ll do to her once I find her.” 

“No, I- I don’t think she was in her right mind.” Another pause. “You were right, she wasn’t herself.”

Now hearing hurt as well. When Fakir crossed his arms he heard the strands of fabric scratching against each other, he heard Ahiru fiddle with some necklace, the chain grated against his ear drum. 

But worst of all, he heard their hearts, beating in their chests, so loud and frequent. It made him realize how starving he was. 

“I think he’s awake.” Mytho knew they were in the other room but it felt like they were shouting in his ears. 

“Oh, I’ll get him some soup.”

“The soup that’s been waiting on the stove for a week?”

“It’s fine, it’s been covered.” 

There was the clicking of the stove and the scraping of a metal spoon on the bottom of a metal pot. The sounds jarring and annoying. 

He heard the loud clunking of her feet as she came into the room Mytho was in and sat at the edge of the bed. She whispered but it still sounded like a scream.

“Mytho? Are you awake? I made you soup.” She took out a spoonful and sipped some. “It’s not half bad, it’s just from a can, though.” Ahiru moved her hand and put it on his forehead, but what was even more painful was now he could practically see the red, beating blood just under her skin. He grabbed her hand. 

She let out a gasp and the soup bowl clattered to the floor. 

His eyes shot open, but he was forced to blinked a few times because now his world was in black and white except her heart, pounding;  the veins under her skin churning a deeper red. It called to him. He turned to look at her and he was shocked to see the necklace on her chest was a bright red as well; he reached for it, her heart beating wildly under her flesh. 

“Mytho?” Fakir had come in when he heard the bowl fall. He had grabbed and pulled Ahiru away. “How do you feel?” He placed himself in front of her.

“I’m starving, Fakir.” He said coolly. 

“Fakir?” Ahiru asked from around him but he kept her in place. 

“Do you remember what happened?” Fakir asked. Fakir was suspicious of him, that much Mytho knew.

“I was leaving to meet Ahiru when Rue stopped me. She sang to me and put me in a trance, next thing I remember was that I saw that Rue was going to hurt Ahiru before pushing her into the water. Then it starts to get blurry.” 

“You fell and hit your head, Mytho.” Ahiru told him, just barely peeking out from beyond Fakir’s arm. 

“Did I?” Mytho brought his arm up to his head and rubbed his fingers over his skull, trying to find any bumps. 

“Ahiru, go get Mytho another bowl.” Fakir told her, picking up the old bowl and spoon. She went to leave but stopped for a moment to look at Mytho. 

Fakir closed the door after her. “Mytho, do you remember anything while you were in the trance?”

“No, Fakir, is there something I should remember?” 

Fakir looked at him for a few seconds before shaking his head. “No, I suppose not.” Fakir looked at the door before deciding to ask his next question, “Why were you reaching for her?”

A smile crept up his features, “My Fakir, I have no idea what you mean.”

“I am not so unsure that Rue left you completely unharmed.”

“How would she get my blood if there are no cuts, Fakir? Hmm?” 

Fakir’s eyes narrowed in scrutiny, “How would you know whether or not you had cuts?”

“You checked, didn’t you? My wrists my neck, I couldn’t have changed unless she took part of my blood. Fresh blood, too.”

“Besides where the rock cut on your scalp, no, there were no cuts-”

“So pretty little Rue has left me unharmed.”

Fakir crossed his arms, behind his eyes, Mytho saw uncertainty, the gears were turning, a look Fakir acquired when his mind was racing. 

“Mytho, your very centis changing, i know that you are not -” 

Ahiru opened the door again. “I opened a new can.”

Fakir scoffed. “Good.” 

She put it in Mytho’s lap and he stared at it. Normally, he liked this soup, but looking at it made him feel ill. 

“Go get a towel so we can clean this up.” Fakir told Ahiru, motioning to the puddle of soup. 

“Don’t boss me around.” Ahiru countered as she did what she was told anyway, fetching a towel from a cabinet in her bathroom. 

Mytho put the soup on the nightstand. “I think I should take it slow, would you bring me a glass of water, please?” 

Ahiru nodded, “Of course.” She got up and went to the kitchen, letting Fakir handle the rest of the mess. 

The volume had started to go down and color - brilliant, vibrant colors - had started staining the corners of his vision, slowly bleeding into his surroundings.

Fakir rose to put the soiled towels in, presumably, a washing machine when Ahiru came back with water. He sipped at it but it didn’t leave him as refreshed as it once had, perhaps her dripping heart would? 

Mytho shook his head, what was he thinking? 

“Do you need anything?” Ahiru asked. 

“No, no thank you.” Mytho shook his head before smiling at Ahiru. “Will you let me rest for a while?” 

She nodded, “Of course.” She left and closed the door 

 

~

 

“Fakir?” Ahiru shut the door. “Is Mytho okay?” 

Fakir turned to her and shook his head. “I’m not sure. I don’t know how long she had him, she could have done anything in that time, transformations don’t take long at all.” 

“Do you think that she…?”

“I won’t know for sure until I see his eyes.” 

Ahiru looked hopeful, “But they were his normal color!” 

He shushed her. “I know, but sometimes it takes awhile for the color to settle.” He crossed his arms. 

“It’s been a week though.”

“Yes, but he was unconscious as well. The one transformation I saw didn’t cause the person to go under like that.” 

“Wh- what happened?” 

Fakir looked back at her over his shoulder. “It was one of the first letters I had gotten from Rue, actually, in the 70s, she had sent it to me because a bunch of people had been rounded up to be changed and she wanted me to stop it.” He had walked over to the window. “One girl had been changed before I got there but I was able to save the others.”

“What happened to her?” Ahiru pressed, coming up behind him. 

“She started convulsing but soon she rose up and was one of them.” He let out a breath, “I was able to stop the others by starting to fight Rue and causing a riot and the humans were able to sneak away.”

“Oh. Was Retzel there too?”

“Um, well no, I went by myself.”

Ahiru whacked his arm lightly. “What are you, stupid? Why did you think you could fight them by yourself?”

“I’m not the stupid one here.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean!”

“And I didn’t think the note was serious.” He shrugged.

“How did Rue know to send it to you?” Ahiru asked after she stopped fuming. 

“I’m not sure, I wasn’t the alpha then, but-” Fakir shook his head, turning he leaned against the window sill. “I tried to run away from the pack, on multiple occasions. I think Rue knew that.” He thought about what was the best way to show her before he pulled up the bottom of his shirt. Large scars where he was nearly ripped apart by Raven streaked across his chest.

Ahiru gasped, moving a hand to cover her mouth before her hand went to the now purple scores that stretched from his hip up under his shirt. Her fingers tracing what was revealed to her, the higher she went the more he lifted his shirt so she could see. They went all the way to his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry.” Her voice cracked and Fakir felt like slapping himself for bringing it up.

“Relax, it doesn’t matter anymore, it hardly mattered then.” Once her hands pulled away he let his shirt fall. “It only mattered when he started hurting Retzel.”

Ahiru let a few tears fall down her cheeks. “Miss Retzel?” 

“Ah damnit.” Fakir moved his hand to rub over his eyes. “Don’t worry, she’s fine. Don’t cry.” 

Ahiru shook her head but tears kept falling. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

Fakir rolled his eyes before he took her hand. “Listen.” Her eyes shot up to meet his. “She’s fine, Retzel’s a lot tougher than me, I promise.” His thumb rubbed circles over the top of her hand, running over her knuckles until her tears stopped.

“I’m sorry.” She chuckled, “I just can’t imagine what would have happened if I never meet Retzel.” 

“I know. Retzel was the closest person in the world to me, I couldn’t imagine if I lost her, either.” He ran a thumb over a stray tear, cupping her cheek. “Raven realized that I didn’t care if I lived or died after the third time-”

“Third? Fakir!”

“So he went after Retzel.”

Ahiru nodded into his hand before gently leaning against it. 

Fakir laughed, “It was actually kind of funny, he laid one hand on her and she kicked him out a window, when he returned he found that nearly all the wolves had aligned themselves with her. She was kind to all of them, even if they had hurt her before. I didn’t think Raven would try to hurt her again, but I didn’t want to risk it.” 

“No, I understand, I think I would try to protect the people I love as well.” Ahiru looked back to her room, where Mytho was, her hand moving to the necklace she was wearing since they had found him. She told Fakir it made her feel safer. 

Fakir had to admit that it looked like the one Tutu wore in her portrait, the only difference was that it was on a black choker rather than the tarnished, gold chain Ahiru wore.  

“I hope he’s okay.” 

Fakir nodded.

“I hope Rue is okay too.” She turned back to him and smiled. “I know it seems weird but I don’t blame her.” 

“She may have turned him, Ahiru.”

She shook her head. “That’s not her, and you know it.”

Ahiru stared hard into his eyes, trying to make him understand. 

Understand what? She wasn’t sure. 

She knew Rue wasn’t herself, without a doubt. Rue would never hurt Mytho like that, she loved him.

Rue and Mytho had been gone for hours, Fakir was right, anything could have happened in that span of time. Whatever had happened - whatever happened when Rue took Mytho and stole him away to the forest - Ahiru would never been certain.

But she was certain that Rue couldn’t be blamed. 

She tried her best to communicate that to him in the depths of her eyes, she only hoped he knew how to read her. 

Ahiru raised her hand to the one that was still pressed warmly to her cheek.

“Fakir.” Her voice barely above a whisper.

He said her name in return and took a step forward. “I believe you.”

She smiled up at him and squeezed his hand. “Good.”

Fakir the corners of his lips started to raise, “I’m sure.” His eyes traveled to the door and the hint of his smile faded. “We should probably check on Mytho, make sure he’s okay.” 

Just then, as if Mytho had heard them, there was a sound like a breaking window and Fakir and Ahiru rushed into the room. Ahiru gasped and her eyes went wide, her room was trashed and there was shards from the window pane scattered on the floor. Fakir rushed over to look out the window, hoping - if only for this instant - that Mytho had changed and the fall hadn’t killed him.

But, there was no sign of Mytho, there were a few glass shards on the sidewalk, and fortunately no blood. 

“Did he even have pants?” Fakir noticed a folded set of clothes meant for Mytho to change into. A faint, but trackable, scent hovered over the window and he knew he’d be able to follow it, but when he turned to look at her, she was grieving over her torn up possessions.

Her hand was focused on the quilt had that been ripped in half. 

She held it out to him, he took it. “My grandmother m- made that for me after she accepted my mom’s pregnancy.” She sniffed. “It’s- it’s the only thing I have left of her.” 

Fakir put his hand on her shoulder. “Retzel can fix it, it’s okay.” 

Ahiru looked around the room at her possessions. In the living room and kitchen she had some things placed on shelves and pictures framed for decoration more than anything. Everything that was truly important to her had been placed - and now destroyed - in her bedroom.

However nothing was as important as the quilt her grandmother had made, she returned to it and wondered out loud if it was repairable. Fakir reassured her it was. 

She nodded and went to a rocking chair she had in the corner, seldom used being it was a relic, it was however, the chair her mother used to rock her only daughter to sleep. Ahiru had thrown the quilt over the back of the chair in a fashionable way and found one of the pieces snagged on the snapped piece of wood. 

“Fakir?”

“Yes?”

“Retzel can fix it?”

“Yes, she can.”

Ahiru folded her arms and went about the room, collecting items that held significance and placing them in a damaged, broken pile, deeming those pieces beyond repair. In her hands, her quilt, she opened her mouth and before she could ask, Fair gave a swift, but comforting answer. 

Ahiru wrapped her arms around herself and went around to the different items in the room that had been broken that weren’t as valuable to her; mostly her drapes, a picture frame, her mattress, and a wall decoration that didn’t hold as much sentimental value - don’t read as no sentimental value, because Ahiru loved that cheap little painting of a duck she had bought at a garage sale. 

“Right now, let’s focus on getting you a new mattress.” Fakir and Ahiru had precariously sat on the edge of the mattress that was very much destroyed by Mytho. Fakir had no doubt now that Mytho had turned. “How on earth did we not hear this?”

Ahiru shrugged, her grip on the quilt relentless. “Is there a furniture place here?”

Fakir nodded. “It’s a good market since accidents like these happen frequently here.” 

“Shouldn’t we go after Mytho? What if he’s hurt?”

Fakir stood and offered his hand. When she didn’t take it he knew she was upset about more than just her room being demolished. “Mytho is going to be fine. I doubt he’ll do anything reckless with wolves, vampires, and bookmen in this stupid town. Here, we’ll leave you’re mattress in the hall and you can tell your landlord to pick it up. Besides, vampires act pretty normal for the most part.”

Ahiru sniffed, “I know, it’s just that he was my anchor in all this supernatural stuff, he wasn’t a vampire, or a werewolf, or a bookman, he was just Mytho and he didn’t have any prejudices towards wolves or vampires and it was nice, because you would say Rue was evil and then Rue would call you an asshole and Pique and Lillie thought the worst of both of you. But- but, Mytho knew what each of you were really like.” She looked down at her hands. “But now-” 

“Now he might not be so unbiased.” Fakir’s hand still hovered in front of her. “And now he might be a bl- vampire.”

Ahiru nodded. “Everyone wants me for something, but he just wanted me for me.”

Fakir understood why she loved Mytho so much. “Just because he’s a vampire doesn’t mean his opinions have changed, he’s still Mytho. Born a bookman, raised a wolf, and in love with a vampire. Or at least was.”

Ahiru chuckled and accepted his hand. “I know, I’m just being irrational, it’s okay, Fakir, thank you.”

“Anything for you.” The corner of his lip turned up in a half smile. “And don’t worry about the cost of the mattress, I’ll pay for it, alright?”

“What? No, you can’t do that.” Ahiru waved her hand at him as she grabbed her purse and keys.

“Can you even afford a mattress?”

Ahiru’s lips pursed. “Maybe not, but still, why would you pay for it?”

“As far as I’m concerned this is werewolf business. I have enough to cover the cost.” 

Ahiru wrote a note to post on her landlord’s door that said she would be leaving her mattress in the hall for removal.

Fakir started walking down the hall but stopped when he realized Ahiru wasn’t with him. He looked back and saw her gently running her fingers over the tears and rips, the stuffing that was slowly falling out. He came back and put his hand on her shoulder.

She jumped but smiled up at him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!”

The smile faded.

She shook her head.

Ahiru turned around and slid down to the floor, leaning against the mattress. Fakir sat down next to her.

“My life will never go back to normal, will it?” She brought her knees to her chest. “I always thought that once I had done whatever I needed to do, you, and Rue, and Mytho would all disappear from my life. For a long time it didn’t feel real, the bruises, the mark, the transformations. Like a bad dream.”

Fakir watched her, letting her take the time to speak, but he couldn’t help the guilt that flooded over him. 

“When I came here, I thought things would be calm, simple.” She let out a breezy laugh that didn’t seem heart felt. “I meet the bookmen, you, Rue, Mytho, everything changed.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What?” Ahiru looked up at him, her eyes watery. “What do you mean?”

“When I was fighting Rue, I saw you and I chased after you.” Fakir looked straight into her eyes. “I thought Rue had brought additional back up when we had agreed to meet alone.”

“But you didn’t know I wasn’t a vampire.”

“I did. I could smell your human blood and I saw your blue eyes. But I acted on impulse.” Fakir rubbed his face. “If I hadn’t, no one would know about you and you would have been safe.”

Ahiru put a hand on his arm.

A woman with a child passed them and they brought their legs in so she could get by. 

Ahiru smiled again, a light giggle escaping her. “We’re sitting in front of a ripped mattress in the middle of the hallway, what did that poor lady think of us?”

Fakir rolled his eyes. Ahiru rose and offered her hand, which he took.

“Your life is different now because of me. I’m sorry.”

His hand still in hers, she squeezed his lightly. “I don’t regret meeting you. But from now on.” Her eyes floated to the rips. “My life is going to be a lot more exciting.”

Fakir smiled. How wonderful was she?

“Now, c’mon! You owe me a new mattress!”

 

~

 

Mytho was scared. If he were alive his heart would have been pounding but he wasn’t and it didn’t. He had run for a long time and it didn’t tire him out, his head hurt from trying to remember what happened when Rue had put him in that trance. He should have known what she was doing when she starting singing that soft tune, but he loved hearing her sing, it was quite a lovely surprise. 

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the desire to drink. To feast on- on- 

Mytho couldn’t believe himself, he didn’t even recognize where he was. The alley’s and buildings didn’t strike him as ones he knew and he was frightened. 

Mytho wished he had a heart. He wished his worked! 

And the sounds, by god the sounds! He thought he had it controlled but now, in this foreign city the screeching of brakes, and honking of horns. The marching feet that pounded against the concrete. Sirens, he heard sirens wailing out over the buildings, he knew it was miles away but it sounded so close, close enough to burst his eardrum.

The smells. In Ahiru’s apartment, it was contained so he didn’t notice, but the smells met his nose fiercely and it attacked him, making his head spin. Underneath his fingertips he could feel the people walking, like miniature earthquakes He could feel the trains that were making their way across the city. And, he was sure that if he gave in to what he craved the taste would be too much for him to handle.

He thought he was going insane. 

It was tamer now, in the alley, away from the people, which caused the temptation to spike, but it was still there, his stomach grumbled and when that- that  _ stench _ reached his nose he felt a hunger that ripped him apart. 

Mytho knew he couldn’t give in, if he did who would he be? 

He had seen transformations before, he knew they weren’t supposed to be violent, your body became accustomed to the new sensations.

Think! 

What did Rue do before you woke up?

C’mon, think, you remember. 

Mytho bite his lip so hard blood dribbled down his chin. 

“Hello?” 

Oh God no, go away!

“Sir, are you alright?” 

Mytho could feel his heart beating, it didn’t matter that he was dead, he could feel the phantom palpitations as the woman got closer to him. 

“I can call an ambulance for you?” 

“Go away.” He strained. He hoped she heard, that she would back away, she was too close!

“Sir, you’re in pain!” 

Mytho did the unthinkable and jumped on her, his arm wrapping around her and his hand on her neck. He felt her veins, heard her heart quickening, her blood smelled better with fear in it.

He smiled.

He could feel his teeth sharpening. Just a bite, right? 

He ran his fingers over her throat.

Mytho blinked his eyes before pushing himself away. “Leave! Leave now! Run away, please! I’m sorry.” Mytho backed into the wall, he slid down the wall. “I’m sorry.” 

Mytho heard another heart beating, he looked around, the girl had ran, but the heart beat was on the floor. 

Mytho swallowed, would it be better that way? The longer he stared the more his stomach growled. It seemed like a delicacy, and perhaps, the only way to end the hunger. 

Carefully, Mytho positioned himself and pounced on the little creature and brought its squirming body up to his face. 

“A rat? How sad.” He said to himself, almost laughing cruelly at his own misfortune. 

Mytho disagreed, it was better than that poor girl who tried to help him. 

“Look.” He said, causing Mytho to look down the mouth of the alley and into the street, where many people were walking. “Take your pick.”

Mytho shook his head and broke the neck of the rat and dug his teeth into the poor creature. 

_ Pathetic _ , he thought,  _ You could do better. _

Mytho had finished but was still hungry, he hunted after another rat.

“How disgusting.” He said, looking at the corpses of four rats that where bone dry. “Look at this display, truly I deserve better than this!”

Mytho turned to look down the alley, now that his hunger was dissipated perhaps he could try to find his way out of this city. Perhaps find out what city it was first. 

Mytho walked against the throngs of people, pushing against shoulders and getting knocked in the shins by briefcases, perhaps he should stop and ask someone for directions, but Mytho didn’t want to bother anyone, and asking what city he was currently in may cause alarm. 

“Watch it!” A man called after having bumped into Mytho. 

_ I could snap your neck and rip out your heart! _ He thought. Mytho shook his head before continuing on. Perhaps some landmark could tell him where he was. He hadn’t run for long, surely it had to be Stadt Von Echie or Stockente, Mytho couldn’t have gotten far. 

Mytho would have to get home soon, he was positive that he terrified poor Ahiru, and wrecked most of her room. He couldn’t help himself as he heard their beating hearts elevating, he couldn’t just sit there and listen to it, he had been out for a long time - a week according to Ahiru - so he couldn’t help himself when he took his anger out on her items before jumping out the window.   

Mytho would have to apologize for what he had done. 

Mytho began to feel sick. 

Had he been wrong? Should he have sunk his teeth into the neck of that poor woman? Mytho knew Rue drank the blood of animals instead of humans, of course, those animals had been given healthy meals that would make the blood rich. 

What had that rat been eating? 

Trash? 

Or perhaps Mytho had simply eaten too quickly, he knew that when you had been deprived of food for a long time you had to go slowly. He had devoured four rats almost instantaneously. 

What a fool he had been.

He had moved into another alley when a familiar presence entered. 

“Rue.” Mytho called out. Glad that she was there. “Rue, I- I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

Rue came up to him and put her hands onto his cheeks. “Oh, Mytho, I’ve done the unthinkable.” 

“What, meine liebe?” He grazed her arms with his knuckles.  _ He  _ felt fine. “What have you done?” 

“I tried to change you without your permission.”

“Tried?” He asked. “As far as I’m concerned, you succeeded.”

“What?” Rue looked into his eyes. “No, you only drank my blood, I never drank yours, the transformation was never finished, you should be- normal. Your eyes-”

“What, liebling?” He asked, his lips stretching into an upturned grimace. “I thought you loved the color of my eyes.”

He could hear her swallow. “No.” Rue shook her head. “There’s something wrong with you.” 

He brought his hand to her hip, his other pulling her hand into a waltzing formation. “There’s nothing wrong with me, in fact, I’ve never felt better in my life.” 

“Mytho, let me finish the transformation- “

“Why? I feel fantastic, I should have done this sooner.” He twirled her around. “It’s a shame that you weren’t that convincing. If I had known this is what you feel like every day I would have agreed sooner.” He chuckled lightly. 

“Mytho, stop!” She tried to push at his chest, but for the first time in their relationship, he was stronger, he pinned her hand there.

“Do you feel that? I’m dead, I don’t have a need for a heart anymore, isn’t that great?”

“Mytho.” Rue said quietly. Mytho knew that Rue loved the feel of his heartbeat underneath her fingers. But, at the moment, he didn’t care. 

“Mein lieb, I have never felt better. Come, let's go home.” He picked her up, knocking her at her knees and used one of his overstimulated senses to find his way back to Wasser Castle. He dropped her on their bed and began kissing her arm.

“Mytho, please stop, you’re not yourself!” 

“No!” He grabbed her wrist in an unbreakable grip, nearly crushing her bones. “I’ve never been more myself in all these years! I’m happy like this, Rue! Let me be happy!” Mytho roughly brought her arm back to his lips, not so delicately planting kisses up her arm and to her neck. 

His tongue lolled out and ran a path along her neck, he could feel the veins, still from having not worked for years, he could feel every bump that started to rise on her flesh. 

“Is this what you feel when you touch me?” He asked, “It’s wonderful, it’s a new experience, I can really, and truly feel you.”

Rue shivered. “Mytho, Get off me.”

“Oh, but I like these sensations. You know, at first I couldn’t handle them they were so intense, but I can see why they would be useful.” Mytho ran his hands over her neck and down her chest. “I can feel every part of you.”

Rue stopped his hands from travelling any further and threw him off of her. “When I say stop, you stop.”

He cooed, “Sassy, how exciting.” But then he glared at her. “But let me tell you something, don’t throw me, I bruise easily.” 

Rue scoffed, “I’m sure.” She rose and tried to leave the room, but he was quicker. He grabbed her wrist and tossed her across the room.

“Retribution.” He called to her.

Rue rose again and this time she launched herself at him.  _ This _ was not her Mytho.


End file.
